Happy Labor Day

Labor Day began in the late 19th century, but it wasn't until 1894 that it became a Federal holiday.  When the observance began, it was the height of the Industrial Revolution where many workers would work a 12 hour day in abhorrent conditions, leave and work another 8 hour shift at a second job, go home to get 4 hours of sleep, and then start the cycle over again.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. 

But the need for Unions, to prevent overworking and underpaying people, isn't what it was 130 years ago; maybe it's time to remove this expensive middleman between workers and the employers.

According to the SLC Tribune... (http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/52519199-183/angeles-los-workers-labor.html.csp)

Are you wondering how genealogy  can apply to labor unions? Unions kept very accurate records and according toLoretto Dennis Szucs, Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, co-authors of their book: The source: a guidebook to American genealogy, their accurate records are a treasure trove waiting to be sifted. (http://books.google.com/books?id=Jw3kn_AgNTkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=labor+unions+and+genealogy&source=bl&ots=2MWy0otbSH&sig=dSVJPbGGx1CWVygzmkKlRmIJVTc&hl=en&ei=nWZkTubfLerr0gGgsMCTCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=labor%20unions%20and%20genealogy&f=false)