Message from Councilman Roshan White | September 1, 2021

Labor Day is our unofficial last chance to celebrate the summer. The local schools will be opening on Sept. 9 and life will quickly focus on all the fall events, holidays, and sports around Scotch Plains and beyond.

And, so, as the clock quickly ticks down on the Summer of ’21, I want to spend a moment talking about the importance of this federal holiday – far beyond our aspirations to find a perfectly-grilled hot dog.

Labor Day – marked this year on Monday, Sept. 6 – pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It evolved in the late 19th century, following one of American history’s most dismal chapters for workers.

It was the Industrial Revolution, and factories had an insatiable need hired hands. Most blue-collar Americans were working 12-hour days and seven-day weeks for horrible pay in dangerous, stifling conditions. Historians note that children as young as five years old were pulled into this grueling work, earned a fraction of adult pay, and lost out on their precious, fleeting childhood.

Immigrants were prime targets of this abuse, working in factories with little air, few breaks and sanitary facilities that were – let’s say – less than sanitary.

It all gave rise to the American labor union and a nationwide demand for decent working conditions.

In the late 1800s, strikes and rallies took place – often dangerous and violent – in the major cities as workers were empowered to rise up and demand better hours, working conditions and livable wages.

On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country. Many states passed legislation recognizing this important day of rest and Congress legalized the holiday 12 years later.

So, as you make plans to mark the Labor Day weekend, why not take a brief moment to express appreciation for America’s workers? Through this pandemic, our laborers have been deemed essential while also serving as the backbone of the manufacturing, storage and transportation sectors, while also ensuring our local shelves were stocked.

This Labor Day, amidst all the barbeques, pool parties and sales at all the stores on Route 22, let’s also take time to honor our workers, as well as organized labor. They all deserve our immense appreciation. On behalf of my colleagues on the Council, I wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend.