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Today is Labor Day. Many people in the U.S. have today off in commemoration of workers through the years. Now, though, it has mainly become a time for relaxation and one last holiday as the summer comes to a close. However, it is a fitting tribute to those who have gone before if we take a few moments to think about them. After all, they have provided us with a foundation for a number of benefits:

• Paid vacation time
• Paid holidays
• An eight-hour work day
• Overtime
• An end to child labor
• Efforts to end pay discrimination
• Minimum wage

There are a number things we have to be grateful for. Indeed, the policies that our forbears fought for are what allow many of us today to be able to afford homes and enjoy our time in them. Without some of the reforms fought for, many of us would still be working in squalid conditions, for long hours, to bring home very little. Part of the reason we even have a middle class is thanks to the reform efforts of those we celebrate on Labor Day.

In order to bring a bit of history to the Labor Movement and to the founding of Labor Day, The History Channel has this interesting presentation, seen below. It is a bit long at eight and a half minutes, but it is worth watching. And if you only have three and a half minutes, you can watch the first part, which is a summary of the Labor Movement through the years and the events that led to Labor Day as a federal holiday. Well worth a short investment of time.

At this time when unemployment is high, it is a worthy goal to remember those who have fought for us in the past, and to think about those who would like to be workers, but are unable to. Enjoy the day, but try and take a few minutes to remember others as well.

Happy Labor Day!