Labor Day Weekend!

For many, the Labor Day Weekend in the United States represents the end of the summer with pools closing and picnics and BBQ's tapering off. There are great sales in all of the stores everywhere. Summer clothing is ushered out and Fall stuff hits the shelves. Out here in Cali, we're fortunate enough to have several months of great weather still ahead of us.

This year, Labor Day Weekend has been a nice relaxing experience for me. I've actually enjoyed driving around the city. The traffic has been light and the weather has been perfect. I've noticed a great improvement in the air quality and the fires seem to be relinquishing their grip a little. The past few days I attended a fabulous party, played golf with a friend who was visiting for the weekend, and caught up on some reading and blogging!

Suffice to say - I have a new appreciation for "Labor Day Weekend" and the opportunity to rest and take a break from laboring. In response to my newly acquired appreciation, I decided to check into the history of Labor Day. I learned that it's actually a Holiday that we borrowed from our neighbors to the north. According to Wikipedia, Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes ("Nine-Hour Movement") first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Canada in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872 in Canada. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers' strike led to an annual celebration in Canada.


In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labor day" on September 5 of the same year. The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. 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. Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair. Currently, all 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday


Yippie!

So there you have it. A bit of history and some rest and relaxation. Now all of you reading this (and me) get back to work!

Labor Day is over!

Sad But True.....

When will the writer's strike be over? Is there a possible end in site? I've purposefully avoided blogging about the writer's strike but I certainly can't avoid the reality of the issue. It seems every day now since I've been back in LA I have some immediate reminder of the truth. And the truth is: Many lives will be affected economically, emotionally, and permanently. This is clear to me as I watch the masses walk the picket lines rain or shine. I suppose in my own little Utopian mind I long for a society and job market where management would treat labor with dignity and respect and compensate them fairly for work done. In return, labor would respond with loyalty, dedication, commitment to duty, and provide a fair days work for fair pay. Having been a past victim of management's ruthless and "criminal" pillaging of my pay, benefits, and retirement; I've unfortunately resigned myself to the belief that in some cases unions are necessary. I came across this video in the chambers of "Youtubia" and noticed the widespread irony in it. Please watch:




There's lots of irony here but I've highlighted the following:

1. This guy tries to show how clever "he is" by making fun of comedy writers.
2. He is a comedy writer and really isn't funny at all.
3. The stress and pressure of this strike will end many relationships.
4. Not all comedy writers are men.
5. This guy is a boob and annoys his wife and it has nothing to do with the strike. Their relationship survives merely because she gets a scheduled break from him.

You would think that with all of his time off he could really come up with something funny! Not!

Well, let's hope for a quick and fair settlement. I hear from my sources that there's a producer's settlement proposal on the table.

Expect to hear more in the upcoming days.