Ronald Reagan’s Labor Day proclamation from 1988

NEWS AND OPINION:

The date is Aug. 31, 1988. Then-President Ronald Reagan launched this formal proclamation a few days prematurely of Labor Day that 12 months:

“Each Labor Day, we pause as a nation to honor some of the greatest heroes of the American story. On this 94th Labor Day, I ask all Americans to join me in offering heartfelt thanks and praise to working men and women,” he stated.

“We salute working people because they have built our land with skill, energy, and resourcefulness, transforming raw materials into a shining edifice of freedom and prosperity. On Labor Day we recognize these achievements and reflect on the meaning and dignity of work and on the values it protects and strengthens — the values we as a nation hold most dear,” Reagan famous.

“In both peacetime and time of war, American workers have always offered each other and the world their very best, affirming their liberty as individuals and as members of a team and promoting the ideals of free enterprise and democracy here and around the globe,” he stated.

“America’s workers continue to display the spirit, ingenuity, and adaptability to new conditions that labor and employers alike need if our economy is to continue to grow. This willingness to meet every challenge speaks volumes about the health and vitality of our way of life,” the president continued.

“Let us always remember that so much of what we are, we owe to working men and women. God gave us this land, but, under his good graces, the labor of our people has helped it flourish and pour forth its plenty for ourselves and the world. For all these reasons, America celebrates Labor Day, 1988 with fresh gratitude and pride,” Reagan concluded.

BIDEN’S LABOR DAY, 2023

“I have often said that the middle class built this country and that unions built the middle class. On Labor Day, we honor that essential truth and the dedication and dignity of American workers, who power our nation’s prosperity,” President Biden stated in his Labor Day proclamation, which was launched Friday.

“They have built the railways, highways, and waterways that connect us from coast to coast, have forged the look and feel of American cities, and have protected our communities and families as first responders. Organized workers have fundamentally transformed how we live and work in this country — from securing the 8-hour work day and overtime pay to mandating standard safety practices in workplaces and earning better health care, pensions, and other benefits for all workers,” the president stated.

“American workers are the best in the world, but over the past few decades, too many leaders embraced an economic theory that failed them and our unions. It is called trickle-down economics. It is the belief that we should cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations and wait for the benefits to trickle down to workers and American families. It is a belief that we should shrink public investment in infrastructure and public education. It is a tax policy that encourages corporations to move operations and jobs overseas,” Mr. Biden famous.

Find his full “Proclamation for Labor Day, 2023” at Whitehouse.gov, within the “Briefing room” part of the positioning, listed amongst “Presidential Actions.” The White House launched a “Fact Sheet” on the vacation as nicely.

A NERVOUS WORKFORCE

Financial issues have taken a noticeable toll on the Labor Day vacation. Yes, there’s a ballot — this one carried out by WalletHub.com. It discovered that 55% of U.S. adults plan to spend much less this Labor Day than they did final 12 months.

“This is a sign that people’s wallets have been impacted by inflation, even though it has decreased recently,” the information and knowledge website famous in a quick evaluation.

The ballot discovered that 38% of the respondents stated they’re worse off financially than they had been final Labor Day — whereas 41% stated the general U.S. labor power generally is worse off this 12 months than in 2022.

“Many people have started working harder. 63% of people are working harder due to inflation. Inflation is impacting Labor Day travel. 61% of people are less likely to travel this Labor Day due to inflation,” the evaluation stated.

“Job security is a rising concern. 23% more people say they are concerned about their job security this Labor Day compared to last year. There is high demand for raises. 87% of people want a raise to keep up with inflation,” it famous.

On high of all the things else, the ballot additionally discovered that over a 3rd of the respondents — 37% — are involved that synthetic intelligence “will take their jobs.”

The survey of two,200 U.S. adults was carried out Aug. 7-11 and launched Friday.

IN CASE YOU WONDERED

Does Labor Day have a historic dynamic going for it? Why sure, it does. Here’s a written assertion from the Labor Department tracing the vacation’s heritage:

“Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being,” the federal company stated in a quick official historical past of the event.

“Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, on February 21, 1887,” the company stated.

“During 1887, four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York — passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday,” the company stated.

POLL DU JOUR

• 51% of U.S. adults have a positive opinion of labor unions.

• 29% have an unfavorable opinion of labor unions.

• 20% don’t understand how they really feel about labor unions.

• 32% say unions are much less highly effective now, in comparison with their affect 30 years in the past.

• 21% say there has not been a lot change within the unions’ stage of energy.

• 20% say unions at the moment are stronger.

• 26% usually are not certain how highly effective labor unions are.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov ballot of 1,500 U.S. adults carried out Aug. 28-30.