Happy Labor Day! - Labor Week on Lawffice Space

Well, it's Labor Day... and this is an employment law blog... so I guess we should celebrate. And celebrate we will. But a day is just not sufficient, so here at Lawffice Space we will be celebrating with Labor Week!

As today is a federal holiday (see 5 U.S.C. § 6103), we'll keep this post focused on the holiday itself. Last year, I wrote a history of Labor Day. This year, I'd like to focus on some great content provided by the Department of Labor.

For starters, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis recorded a "State of the American Worker" address, embedded here:



For my email readers, if you cannot see the video click here to view online. It's a pretty high-level overview with sound bites like, "I will not stop working until every American is back on their feet." It's still nice to hear directly from the Department on their views and goals. And she does identify some specific initiatives as well.

The Department also created a great page on Labor Day History, including a look back in photos. Did you know that the first labor day celebration was attended by 25,000 union members and their families, police were concerned about riots, and there were kegs in "every conceivable place?" Do you know the true origins of "Rosie the Riveter?" And who actually invented Labor Day? It's all on the DOL's tribute page.

Hopefully this whets your appetite for a week's worth of labor posts. Check back each day this week for a new post!

Posted by Philip Miles, an employment lawyer with McQuaide Blasko in State College, Pennsylvania.