Labor Day

Happy Labor Day, Minnesota!

While you are enjoying the day off of work, whether you are spending it at the lake, on the deck, or just getting some chores done around the house that have been piling up, you might be wondering what Labor Day is all about. If you’re a conservative, you may even be quick to dismiss the holiday as a holy day of American liberalism, harkening back to the rise of socialist-adjacent labor unions in the early 20th century. And in a sense, you would have a point. Labor Day was born out of the same early 20th century movement that brought private sector labor unions to America at a time when the Republican party was thoroughly on the side of big business and the Democrat party was equally entrenched on the side of working class individuals. Because of that legacy, it would be easy for Minnesota Republicans – politicians, activists, and everyday voters alike – to dismiss Labor Day as a “liberal holiday.”

But however much truth there may or may not be to the stereotype of the 1920s Republican business man puffing a cigar in his three-piece suit while his scrappy, poor employees trudge from their dirty workplace to pull the lever for the democrats in the voting booth, there is certainly not much truth to that stereotype today. While it may be the case that, if you visit the offices of your local labor union, you will see no shortage of signs, buttons, posters, and apparel promoting democratic politicians and policies, it is equally the case that, if you visit your local construction site, you will see far more republican stickers on truck bumpers and hard hats.

The populist political and economic movement spearheaded by Donald Trump has revealed the reality of our day; the Republican party is the party of the working class. And it doesn’t take much head scratching to discover why. Sure, democrats are still the ones who support big union contracts that increase the benefits packages of many workers, while republicans tend to frown upon using government pressure to increase the power of those same unions. But more than his hourly wage and 401k contributions, a worker cares about his family and his home. In fact, the main reason a man cares about his paycheck and benefits is for the good of his family and his home. On his own, the average labor union member would probably be happy to live in a nearly-primitive cabin in the woods someplace. The reason the average union member joins a union in the first place is not because he’s a devoted student of Karl Marx or because he has a strong opinion in favor of the labor theory of value. He joins because that’s how he can provide the best for his family. And while democrats have continued to aggressively support labor unions both private and public, they have also advanced laws and policies that have undermined the family at every level. Workers have noticed this, and, while still paying their union dues, many have thrown their support to the political party that offers them not only a fatter paycheck, but a safe, orderly, and prosperous

state and nation in which to raise their kids.

The Department of Labor website quotes Peter J. McGuire, who is credited by many with the founding this holiday, as saying that Labor Day is a “general holiday for the laboring classes" to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." Whatever the partisan origins of the holiday may or may not be, McQuire’s sentiment is a worthy one, and it is good to celebrate not only the existence of our great country, but the men who have built it into what it is.

With all of that in mind, give thanks to God for our country today while you enjoy the lake or the grill or the rocking chair, and give thanks for the men who built it. Happy Labor Day!