Labor advocates reminding people what Labor Day is really all about

DELMARVA – Even though Monday’s beautiful weather was the perfect day to get outside and celebrate, labor advocates are reminding people what Labor Day is really about. “Labor Day started as a holiday back in the late 1800s. It was designed to basically honor working men and women, almost particularly in the union movement. But, today it’s a way to honor the American workers who labor all day and all year to make things for us, produce things for us, and to protect us,” said President of the National Right to Work Committe Mark Mix.

But Mix says, the holiday has now evolved to honor all American workers, whether they’re in a union or not. “The idea that this day is somehow reserved for union workers basically says that we’re not going to honor the 94% of all private sector workers in the country that are not members of the union,” said Mix. “While it’s important to give workers the choice to join a union, it’s also important that we protect their individual freedom not to be forced to support or join a union as a condition of their employment.”

Mix tells 47ABC the holiday is also a chance to reflect on where the country stands now on the labor front, and what progress can be made. “The idea of Labor Day is to celebrate the rights of America’s workers. The rights of America’s workers should first and foremost be based on individual freedom and individual choice,” said Mix.

Individual workers aren’t the only thing the holiday honors, according to Mix. “If we stop just for a minute, even on a day that comes with other celebrations as well, you understand the awesomeness of that particular situation of being able to live in a country that protects workers’ rights, and continues to expand the protection of workers’ rights,” said Mix.