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We hope you're having a pleasant Labor Day holiday.
As far as can be determined, the first Labor Day observance was a parade held in New York City in 1882. A union secretary organized it. In subsequent years, the idea of honoring the nation's workers spread. It became a national day of rec ognition in 1894.
Although originally connected with unions and the labor movement, Labor Day has come to be associated with different things. It seems to signal the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. A change in weather is in the air. Football season is getting underway. Yet the core of the holiday remains the idea of honoring the nation's workforce.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that's about 66 percent of the nation's adult population. In fact, some 146.5 million Americans over the age of 16 comprise the labor force. Some 78.2 million are men and 68.4 million are women.
In case you're wondering, the annual median income for full-time employed males is $38,275. For females, it's $29, 215.
It's nice to have a holiday that honors the value of hard, honest and productive work. It's always refreshing to have a day off. In the end, though, the real blessing for America's workers is having a job to return to tomorrow.
