Happy Labor Day - American Style

Versão em português: http://georgeroberts.blogspot.com/2011/09/dia-do-trabalho-americana.html.

Many people might find it a little strange that Labor Day in the United States is not the first of May, which is celebrated as International Labor Day around the world, but is rather the first Monday in September. They might find it even more surprising that the event giving rise to International Labor Day, the Haymarket Massacre, happened in Chicago on May, 1, 1886. Why don't Americans celebrate this date along with the rest of the world?

According to Wikipedia,

Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[4] The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would be associated with the nascent Communist, Syndicalist and Anarchist movements that, though distinct from one another, had rallied to commemorate the Haymarket Affair on International Workers' Day.[5] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.

More than a workers' holday, Labor Day marks the end of summer. It's the end of the long school holidays, perhaps the last barbecue of the season or possibly that one last weekend at the beach. Unlike Brazil, the United States begins its school year in September. This holiday, like several other American holidays, always falls on a Monday, so Labor Day Weekend is always a long weekend. Moveable holidays are very practical!

And how about celebrations? In 2011, American labor has very little to cheer abou. Labor unions are weaker than ever. The unemployment rate, including the long-term unemployed, temporary and part-time workers who want a full-time job but can't find one and "discouraged" workers who look for a job for a while and give up, is actually around 23% according to economist Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.prisonplanet.com/labor-day-should-be-renamed-corporation-day-or-war-day.html. For a lot of people these days, "Happy Labor Day!" seems like a sick joke.