Labor Day 2023: It's My Job

Most Labor Day weekends in north Georgia are enjoyed in beautiful weather foreshadowing the spectacular and seemingly endless fall so characteristic of this region. This year's weekend is no exception whether you're camping in the mountains, enjoying the variety of barrier islands on the coast or simply enjoying the pleasures of your own patio and yard. Regardless you'll have plenty of sunshine and warmth in which to cerebrate the world of work.

For about thirty of the 55 years of our dual career my wife and I were accustomed to working on weekends and most holidays. We worked so that other workers and their families could enjoy their day experiencing some of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the nation. We considered it an honor to have done so but at the same time came to appreciate the opportunity to share and celebrate these special days with family and friends. In sharing the stories with my children in the quiet of the evening after events of the day ended I often focused on memories of Labor Day picnics.

Those picnics were day-long affairs held in Burlington, West Virginia, by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company to honor their employees and families on the workers' holiday. The company had been the major employer in my hometown for over three generations. By 1960 the community and company were indeed a family and this day was their reunion. Still, racial segregation  was a common practice that divided the day into two nearby picnics, one for whites, the other for blacks who made up a very small portion of the work force. Newspaper accounts over the years reaffirm the separate and unequal treatment.  

With four to five thousand white workers and their families in attendance it was a big event featuring plenty of food and beverages in addition to carnival rides, dancing, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, pony rides, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides at $2 a ride, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment including the greasy pig, flying boats, two merry-go-rounds - one a center-pivot - and a very tall and fast sliding board. None of that thrilling playground equipment could begin to approach today's safety standards. And if the activities of the day weren't enough, sundown signaled it was time for a free movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

OTR at the Burlington campground in 1949 . . .

. . . and 1959. . . 

. . .and 1970

Although many of the playmates on those days ended up working at the mill others  went on to college, military service or opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left made the right decision. In the summer of 2018 the mill closed abruptly putting almost 700 workers out of jobs that had supplied their families with good union wages and benefits for generations. Today, the mill sits idle after several changes in ownership and a slow, decades-long decline in both the talented workforce and demand for the coated paper it produced. It was a story heard often in the region as one industry after another declined or disappeared entirely. It is a story we hear today in many industrial regions in the United States.

The mill's Labor Day picnics at Burlington ended in the 1960's and it's been almost fifty years since I spent that holiday weekend there. Still, I feel a strong affinity for the place, the big event, and those - including lots of extended family - living among the magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front. Although they are surely challenged by the mill closing their work ethic and sense of community will insure their survival through these hard time. They've done it before.

We know the notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. We may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere but we cannot forget the labor, ambitions, and achievements that made the celebration possible. That's why we wish all workers, especially those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River, a happy Labor Day. I think the American Dream has a good future in store for all of them. There will be bumps in the road to better employment but those challenges simply make the good times more enjoyable. After all, it's widely known that mountains cannot stand without valleys.

Happy Labor Day, Americans, wherever you are.

Celebrating Labor Day 2022

Most Labor Day weekends in north Georgia are enjoyed in beautiful weather foreshadowing the spectacular and seemingly endless fall so characteristic of this region. This year's weekend was quite an exception as several inches of rain bathed north Georgia to the point of severe flooding in the northwest mountains. Granted it was not the best environment in which to cerebrate the world of work.

For about thirty of the 55 years of our dual career my wife and I were accustomed to working on weekends and most holidays. We worked so that other workers and their families could enjoy their day experiencing some of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the nation. We considered it an honor to have done so but at the same time came to appreciate the opportunity to share and celebrate these special days with family and friends. In sharing the stories with my children in the quiet of the evening after events of the day ended I often focused on memories of Labor Day picnics.

Those picnics were day-long affairs held in Burlington, West Virginia, by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company to honor their employees and families on the workers' holiday. The company had been the major employer in my hometown for over three generations. By 1960 the community and company were indeed a family and this day was their reunion. With four to five thousand people in attendance it was a big event featuring plenty of food and beverages in addition to carnival rides, dancing, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, pony rides, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides at $2 a ride, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment including the greasy pig, flying boats, two merry-go-rounds - one a center-pivot - and a very tall and fast sliding board. None of that thrilling playground equipment could begin to approach today's safety standards. And if the activities of the day weren't enough, sundown signaled it was time for a free movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

 OTR at the Burlington campground in 1949 . . .

. . . and 1959

Although many of the playmates on those days ended up working at the mill many of them went on to college, military service or other opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left made the right decision. In the summer of 2018 the mill closed abruptly putting over 600 workers out of jobs that had supplied their families with good union wages and benefits for generations. Today, the mill sits idle after several changes in ownership and a slow, decades-long decline in both the talented workforce and demand for the coated paper it produced. It was a story heard often in the region as one industry after another declined or disappeared entirely. It is a story we hear today in many industrial regions in the United States.

The mill's Labor Day picnics at Burlington ended in the 1960's and it's been almost fifty years since I spent that holiday weekend there. Still, I feel a strong affinity for the place, the big event, and those - including lots of extended family - living among the magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front. Although they are surely challenged by the mill closing their work ethic and sense of community will insure their survival through these hard time. They've done it before.

We know the notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. We may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere but we cannot forget the labor, ambitions, and achievements that made the celebration possible. That's why we wish all workers, especially those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River, a happy Labor Day. I think the American Dream has a good future in store for all of them. There will be bumps in the road to better employment but they simply make the good times more enjoyable. After all, it's widely known that mountains cannot stand without valleys.

Happy Labor Day, Americans, wherever you are.

Labor Day 2021

Labor Day weekend weather in north Georgia often foreshadows the spectacular and seemingly endless fall so characteristic of this region. This year's holiday was no exception - until late Monday - as refreshing west winds bathed the state in dry, warm air and filled the sky with fair weather clouds.

For about thirty of the 55 years of our dual career my wife and I were accustomed to working on weekends and most holidays. We worked so that others could enjoy their day experiencing some of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the nation. We considered it an honor to have done so but at the same time came to appreciate the opportunity to share and celebrate these special days with family and friends. In sharing the stories with my children in the quiet of the evening after events of the day ended I often focused on memories of Labor Day picnics.

Those picnics were day-long affairs held in Burlington, West Virginia, by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company to honor their employees and families on the workers' holiday. The company had been the major employer in my hometown for over three generations. By 1960 the community and company were indeed a family and this day was their reunion. With four to five thousand people in attendance it was a big event featuring plenty of food and beverages in addition to carnival rides, dancing, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, pony rides, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides at $2 a ride, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment including the greasy pig, flying boats, two merry-go-rounds - one a center-pivot - and a very tall and fast sliding board. None of that thrilling playground equipment could begin to approach today's safety standards. And if the activities of the day weren't enough, sundown signaled it was time for a free movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

Three year-old OTR at the Burlington campground

Although many of the playmates on those days ended up working at the mill many of them went on to college, military service or other opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left made the right decision. In the summer of 2018 the mill closed abruptly putting over 600 workers out of jobs that had supplied their families with good union wages and benefits to match. Today, the mill sits idle after several changes in ownership and a slow, decades-long decline in both the talented workforce and demand for the coated paper it produced. It was a story heard often in the region as one industry after another disappeared. It is a story we hear today in much of the United States.

The mill's Labor Day picnics at Burlington ended in the 1960's and it's been almost fifty years since I spent that holiday weekend there. Still, I feel a strong affinity for the place, the big event, and those - including lots of extended family - living among the magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front. Although they are surely challenged by the mill closing their work ethic and sense of community will insure their survival through these hard time. They've done it before. 

We know the notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. We may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere but we cannot forget the labor, ambitions, and achievements that made the celebration possible. That's why we wish all workers, especially those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River, a happy Labor Day. I think the American Dream has a good future in store for all of them. There will be bumps in the road to better employment but they simply make the good times more enjoyable. After all, it's widely known that mountains cannot stand without valleys.

Looking Back On Labor Day

Another Labor Day will soon come to a close. North Georgia had spectacular weather for the three-day holiday. Refreshing northwest winds bathed the state in dry, warm air and a brilliant blue sky.

For about thirty of the 55 years of our dual career my wife and I were accustomed to working on weekends and most holidays. We worked so that others could enjoy their day experiencing some of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the nation. We consider it an honor to have done so but at the same time have come to appreciate the opportunity to share and celebrate these special days with others. In sharing them with my children in the quiet of the evening I was often left with memories of Labor Day picnics.  My wife has passed away and our children have been on their own for many years now but on this day I still think of the stories of the great Labor Day picnics from my childhood.

TThe playground at Burlington, 1959

Those picnics were day-long affairs held in Burlington, West Virginia, by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company and its union to honor their employees and families on the workers' holiday. The company had been the major employer in my hometown for over three generations. By 1960 the community and company were indeed a family and this day was their reunion. With five to six thousand people in attendance it was a big event featuring plenty of food and beverages in addition to carnival rides, music, dancing, contests, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, pony rides, horseshoes, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides at $2 apiece, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment including the greasy pig, flying boats, two merry-go-rounds - one a center-pivot - and a very tall and fast sliding board. None of that equipment could approach today's safety standards. The big day ended with a free movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

Although many of the kids I played with on those days ended up working at the mill many of them went on to college, military service or other opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left made the right decision. In the summer of 2019 the mill closed abruptly putting over 600 workers out of jobs that had supplied their families with good union wages and benefits to match. Today, the mill sits idle after several changes in ownership and a slow, decades-long decline in both the talented workforce and demand for the coated paper it produced. It is a story heard before as one industry after another left the region.

The mill's Labor Day picnics at Burlington ended in the 1960's and it's been almost fifty years since I spent that holiday weekend there. Still, I feel a strong affinity for the place, the big event, and those - including lots of extended family - living among the magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front. Although they are surely challenged by the mill closing and the reality that some will leave the area the work ethic and sense of community of those who remain will insure their survival through this hard time. We know the notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. We may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere but we cannot forget the labor, ambitions, and achievements that made the celebration possible. That's why we wish all workers, especially those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River, a happy Labor Day. As some doors close and others open I think the American Dream has a good future in store for all of them. There will be bumps in the road to better employment but they simply make the good times more enjoyable. It is widely known after all that mountains cannot stand without valleys.

A Mill Town Boy Remembers Labor Day

It was a spectacular holiday weekend in north Georgia. Refreshing northwest winds bathed the state in dry, warm air and filled the sky with puffy cumulus clouds one usually sees rolling in off the Atlantic. 

For about thirty of the 55 years of our dual career my wife and I were accustomed to working on weekends and most holidays. We worked so that others could enjoy their day experiencing some of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the nation. We consider it an honor to have done so but at the same time have come to appreciate the opportunity to share and celebrate these special days with others. In sharing them with my children, in the quiet of the evening I'm often left with memories of Labor Day picnics.

Those picnics were day-long affairs held in Burlington, West Virginia, by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company to honor their employees and families on the workers' holiday. The company had been the major employer in my hometown for over three generations. By 1960 the community and company were indeed a family and this day was their reunion. With four to five thousand people in attendance it was a big event featuring plenty of food and beverages in addition to carnival rides, dancing, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, pony rides, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides at $2 a ride, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment including the greasy pig, flying boats, two merry-go-rounds - one a center-pivot - and a very tall and fast sliding board. None of that equipment could approach today's safety standards. The big day ended with a free movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

The Old Tybee Ranger was three when this photo was taken at the Burlington campground 

Although many of the kids I played with on those days ended up working at the mill many of them went on to college, military service or other opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left made the right decision. Earlier this summer the mill closed abruptly putting over 600 workers out of jobs that had supplied their families with good union wages and benefits to match. Today, the mill sits idle after several changes in ownership and a slow, decades-long decline in both the talented workforce and demand for the coated paper it produced. It is a story heard before as one industry after another left the region. 

The mill's Labor Day picnics at Burlington ended in the 1960's and it's been almost fifty years since I spent that holiday weekend there. Still, I feel a strong affinity for the place, the big event, and those - including lots of extended family  -  living among the magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front.  Although they are surely challenged by the mill closing their work ethic and sense of community will insure their survival through this hard time.  We know the notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. We may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere but we cannot forget the labor, ambitions, and achievements that made the celebration possible. That's why we wish all workers, especially those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River, a happy Labor Day. I think the American Dream has a good future in store for all of them. There will be bumps in the road to better employment but they simply make the good times more enjoyable.  After all, it's widely known that mountains cannot stand without valleys.

Labor Day Memories Of A Mill Town Boy

What a beautiful holiday weekend we've had in most of Georgia. Refreshing easterly winds  bathed the state in moderate temperatures and filled the sky with puffy cumulus clouds one usually sees rolling in off the Atlantic. We had the pleasure of hosting our children for most of that time.  Much of our conversation this weekend focused not on work but on past holidays and recent world travel, on our large and diverse population of relatives, and on future plans. 

For about thirty of the 55 years of our dual career my wife and I were accustomed to working on weekends and most holidays. We worked so that others could enjoy their day experiencing some of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the nation.  We consider it an honor to have do so but at the same time have come to appreciate the opportunity to share and celebrate these special days with others. In sharing them with my children, in the quiet of the evening  I'm often left with memories of Labor Day picnics.

Those picnics were day-long affairs held by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company to honor their employees and families on the workers' holiday.  The company had been the major employer in my hometown for three generations.  By 1960, the community and company were indeed a family and this day was their reunion.  With four to five thousand people in attendance it was a big event featuring plenty of food and beverages in addition to carnival rides, dancing, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, pony rides, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides at $2 a ride, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment including the greasy pig, flying boats, two merry-go-rounds - one a center-pivot - and a very tall and fast sliding board. None of that equipment could approach today's safety standards. The big day ended with a free movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

Although many of the kids I played with those days ended up working at the mill many of them went on to college, military service or other opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left made the right decision. Today, the mill exists under another name, employs only a shadow of its former workforce, and no longer holds a Labor Day picnic.  It is a reflection of a community in decline, one left with vivid memories of better times. 

One item that does remain is the union wage and it's exceptionally good. Unfortunately the jobs are few and the quality of life in the entire region is wanting and now into its seventh decade of decline. Regardless, throughout my life, I've always made a point to family, friends, and colleagues that all work is honorable. Every employee, from minimum wage to executive salary, contributes to achieving organizational success. That college diploma still largely determines where one will fall on the earnings scale; however, that formula is changing rapidly. In fact, opportunities to develop skills beyond the academic campus have never been greater. Simply put, the American Dream may be closer to more employees now than ever. That should make many people very happy. If we could just find a way to resurrect an honest liberal arts curriculum in high school, I would be very pleased. It would anchor tomorrow's happy workers in the principles, ethics, and precedents necessary to understand, appreciate and perpetuate the best of the American experience as we have come to know it. Labor Days as I both remember and enjoy them today remain fine expressions of that experience. I hope you and your family enjoyed the holiday as well. 

Labor Day 2017

In the eastern U.S. we're in the last minutes of the Labor Day holiday weekend and the informal end of summer. I'm sure Labor Day and the weekend generated plenty of memories. The most memorable Labor Days in my early days - the '50's and '60's - were the big day-long picnics sponsored by the paper mill that employed my home town. Three to four thousand people attended those events at Burlington, West Virginia, and enjoyed carnival rides, swimming, softball, races, airplane rides, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment that could never be built today. It all ended with a movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

Old Tybee Ranger was three when this photo was taken at the Burlington campground

Many of the kids I played with those days ended up working at the mill, I imagine a number of them went on to college and enjoyed the greater opportunities it afforded. In the long run they made the right decision. Today, the mill employs only a shadow of its former workforce, fewer than a quarter when compared to its post World War II heyday. The company sponsored picnic ended years ago. The union wages may still be good, but the jobs are few, the future of the American paper industry remains in question, and the quality of life still wants in a region now entering its seventh decade of stagnation or decline. 

Although it's been forty years since I skipped rocks in Patterson Creek and spent my last weekends at the Burlington campground I feel a strong affinity for the place and for the people who live there. My family's experience began there in the early nineteenth century. Today that family consists of my cousins and Facebook friends who elected to remain in those magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front.

In my life, I've always made a point to family, friends, and colleagues that all work is honorable. Every employee, from minimum wage to executive salary, contributes to achieving organizational success and profit in the American dream. To those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River I wish a happy Labor Day. The notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. Although we may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere we cannot forget the labor that made the celebration possible and the ambitions and achievements of those who choose to call the region "home."

Labor And The Celebration Of The American Dream

Labor Day comes Monday, but I figured addressing the theme today would make sense as most of us will be enjoying the day with family and away from the Internet. My most memorable Labor Days occurred in the '50s and '60s when I attended the big day-long picnic sponsored by the paper mill that employed my home town. Three to four thousand people attended those picnics at Burlington, West Virginia, and enjoyed carnival rides, swimming, softball, races, airplane rides, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment that could never be built today. It all ended with a movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

Old Tybee Ranger was three when this picture was taken at Burlington, West Virginia

Although many of the kids I played with those days ended up working at the mill, I imagine a number of them went on to college and enjoyed the greater opportunities it afforded. In the long run they made the right decision. Today, the mill employs only a shadow of its former workforce, perhaps fewer than a quarter when compared to its post World War II heyday. The picnic. if it occurs at all these days , must be a shadow of the earlier event. The union wages may still be good, but the jobs are few, the future of the American paper industry remains in question, and the quality of life still wants in a region now entering its sixth decade of stagnation or decline. 

Although it's been forty years since I skipped rocks in Patterson Creek and spent my last weekends at the Burlington campground I feel a strong affinity for the place and for the people who live there. My family's experience began there in the early nineteenth century. Today that family consists of my cousins and Facebook friends who elected to remain in those magnificent ridges and valleys in the shadow of the Allegheny Front. 

In my life, I've always made a point to family, friends, and colleagues that all work is honorable. Every employee, from minimum wage to executive salary, contributes to achieving organizational success and profit in the American dream. To those in the valleys of Georges Creek, New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River I wish a happy Labor Day. The notable labor history of these valleys in the last century helped bring the nation through two world wars and into the limelight as the greatest economic engine on the planet. Although we may be left only with the memories of the holiday at Burlington and elsewhere we cannot forget the labor that made the celebration possible and the ambitions and achievements of those who choose to call the region "home."  

Labor Day Past And Present

Happy Labor Day working America! It's a beautiful holiday in Georgia. Refreshing easterly winds are bathing the state in moderate temperatures and filling the sky with puffy cumulus clouds one usually sees rolling in off the Atlantic. My wife and I are having the pleasure of hosting my former colleague and his wife for the weekend. Ours is a friendship that extends across 45 years and in a broad variety of national park sites from sea to shining sea. Much of our conversation this weekend has been about those magnificent resources we had the honor to preserve and share with others. Of course the nature of our work required us to labor on most weekends including this one in our early careers. It wasn't always that way.

Old Tybee Ranger, Labor Day Picnic, Burlington, WV, ca.1950

My most memorable Labor Days occurred in the '50's and early '60's when I attended the big day-long mill employees picnic. The entire event was free, sponsored by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company that had essentially employed my home town for generations. Three to four thousand people attended those picnics and enjoyed carnival rides, dancing, bingo and board games, swimming, model train rides, softball, foot races and similar activities, real airplane rides, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment - the greasy pig, flying boats, a center-pivot merry-go-round, a very tall and fast sliding board -  that could never be built today. It all ended with a movie under the stars at the drive-in theater next door. 

Although many of the kids I played with those days ended up working at the mill many of them went on to college, military service or other opportunities and adventures that took them away from small town life. In the long run I think those who left  made the right decision. Today, the mill exists under another name - Verso - and employs only a shadow of its former workforce, perhaps less than a quarter compared to its post World War II heyday. If it still exists, the Labor Day picnic has to be a mere shadow of the exciting event as I remember it. 

One item that does remain is the union wage and it's exceptionally good. Unfortunately the jobs are few and the quality of life in the region is wanting and now entering its seventh decade of decline. Regardless, throughout my life, I've always made a point to family, friends, and colleagues that all work is honorable. Every employee, from minimum wage to executive salary, contributes to achieving organizational success. That college diploma still largely determines where one will fall on the earnings scale; however, the formula may be changing. In fact, opportunities to develop skills beyond the campus have never been greater. Simply put, the American Dream may be closer to more employees now than ever. That should make a lot of people very happy, even in the midst of our economic downturn. If we could just find a way to resurrect an honest liberal arts curriculum in high school, I would be very pleased. It would anchor tomorrow's happy workers in the principles, ethics, and precedents necessary to understand, appreciate and perpetuate the best of the American experience as we have come to know it. Labor Days as I both remember and enjoy them today remain fine expressions of that experience. I hope yours is a happy day as well.

Labor Day Weekend 2013

Not So Old Tybee Ranger                                        ca. 1950   

Labor Day comes Monday, but I figured addressing the theme today would make sense as most of us will be enjoying the day with family and away from the Internet. My most memorable Labor Days occurred in the '50s and '60s when I attended the big day-long picnic sponsored by the paper mill that employed my home town. Four to five thousand people attended those picnics and enjoyed carnival rides, swimming, softball, field events, airplane rides, and a playground filled with wonderfully dangerous equipment that could never be built today. It all ended with movies under the stars at the drive-in theater next door.

Although many of the kids I played with those days ended up working at the mill, I imagine a number of them went on to college and enjoyed the mobility, greater incomes and opportunities it afforded. In the long run the college graduates made the right decision. Today, the mill employs only a quarter of the workforce it had during its post World War II heyday. The picnic is a shadow, too, and now held at a mediocre site.  Although the good union wages remain, the jobs are few, and the quality of life is wanting in a region now into its sixth decade of decline.

In my life, I've always made it a point to family, friends, and colleagues that all work is honorable. Every employee, from minimum wage to executive salary, contributes to achieving organizational success. A the same time, I've always agreed that money cannot buy happiness., but I also believe it can help us acquire misery to enjoy. Having owned a sailboat, albeit a small one, I know plenty about misery and enjoyment.  Still, that college diploma largely determines where one falls on the earnings scale and, at least in this country, the happiness index. Our persistent economic downturn may be changing that earnings and happiness index.  For one, opportunities to develop competencies beyond the campus have never been greater. Furthermore, we're learning some hard economic lessons that may likely restore the money habits of our grandparents and great-grand parents. Regardless, I think the American Dream has a good future in store. There will be bumps in the road to full employment but they simply make the good times more enjoyable.  It is widely known that mountains cannot stand without valleys. 

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.

The Job - Is It Time To View Work As A Human Right?

Engraving encouraging industry                                                      English, 1749

When a man sat at his loom in 17th century England, he wasn't too worried about having a job and a life, meager as they may have been, because he owned his craft and the labor of his hands. Move forward a hundred years and the weaver's life was, as with the political revolutions of that age, a world turned upside down. His worth was no longer in the cloth he made but in the labor of his hands. His pay no longer came directly from the buyer but from the merchant who bought his labor.

For the worker the Industrial Revolution brought both hardship and liberation in the wave of romanticism that swept across the early 19th century West.  By the end of that century the new freedom and sense of selfhood had redefined citizenship and statehood. The United States, a constitutional republic, was identified more as a democracy.  Our weaver's descendants more often than not found themselves on our teeming shore and organized into the earliest labor unions. Those unions would have their greatest national influence  in the first half of the 20th century.

Today, as unions continue their slow decline, the battleground has shifted from the conditions and benefits derived from the work to the work itself. There's no question a discussion about the current economy will end in a discussion about jobs and the origin of jobs. Work has never been a human right, but has the time arrived philosophically to think in those terms?  After all we've come a long way from Marx and Engels. Walter Russell Mead explores this question in his blog at The American Interest.

\

Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.

Don't Be Too Political When It Comes To The White House

Lech Walesa:

Electrician
Union leader
Nobel Prize winner
President of Poland
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Did you know that the government of Poland wanted it's national hero, Lech Walesa, to receive the Medal of Freedom for the late Jan Karski at a White House ceremony on Tuesday?  The White House refused, saying he was "too political." For those who don't remember, Walesa and his Solidarity movement freed Poland from the grip of Soviet communism in 1989. At the same ceremony, Barack Obama hung the Medal of Freedom around the neck of Delores Huerta, a labor organizer and the honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Rory Cooper, writing for National Review Online, had this comment about the circumstances:

So socialist politics are acceptable, but not the politics of a man who stood up and fought socialism.

The likelihood is that President Obama didn’t want Walesa in the White House because Walesa has made critical remarks toward the president’s policies and in 2010 warned that the United States was slipping toward socialism. But rather than taking the mature and diplomatic path and respecting Walesa’s right to have a differing perspective, Obama chose to shun his lifetime of achievements.

Read the rest of Cooper's remarks here. What a sorry state of affairs.

Perspectives On The New Century's Forgotten Man

Boy working in factory, Alexandria, Virginia, 1911

If it's still a man's world out there, it isn't the world OTR knew in 1968 when he graduated from college. Today, women still make less - 77 cents - per buck than men, but single women under thirty out-earn men of the same age group. And for every 100 college graduates in the Class of 2012, sixty of them will be women. And once on a job backed by fifty years of equal opportunity, for every woman who dies or incurs serious injury, there will be nine men with the same fate.

Marty Nemko explores the contemporary world of work and what he perceives as a bias against men in this article posted at The Atlantic. Note that there is a link to an equally interesting response above the photograph in Nemko's column.

N.B. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, LOC

NLRB Challenges A Corporation's Right to Choose

Did you ever think you would see the day in the United States when a federal government panel could tell a major corporation where to build a plant? My friends,the Obama-think dominated National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is attempting to do just that to the Boeing Corporation. It seems the company wants to build its new Dreamliner factory in South Carolina instead of Seattle, Washington. Washington is a union state. South Carolina is a right to work state--no union membership required. It seems that Boeing wanted to not only enjoy a better climate in terms of weather, but also avoid the potential loss of billions in revenue due to "baggage" associated with unions. This decision has been challenged by the NLRB, now dominated by pro-union types appointed by Obama.

Here is a link to a report in The New York Times. Even the Times is a bit taken aback by this unprecedented action.

And there's more here from Gateway Pundit and National Review Online. There are some enlightening comments with both posts.

Somehow, OTR thinks this is not the kind of change Obama fans expected. On the other hand, our friends at Aerospatiale, the builders of the Airbus, would be happy to see a new plant in Washington. The labor issues will bring them business.