WEBVTT - Labor Day

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the Shorty. I'm Josh, there's Chuck

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<v Speaker 1>and Jerry's over there, so that makes this stuff you

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<v Speaker 1>should know shorties. Welcome to the Shorty. I like that.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm trying to switch things up because these are a

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<v Speaker 1>little different, you know. Sure, they're their own thing. Chuck. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>We we decided that we needed a signal to people

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<v Speaker 1>that this was different, and we decided against a three

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<v Speaker 1>minute long I suggested a series of blinks, but after

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<v Speaker 1>a little while we figured out that wasn't gonna work. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I see you're wearing white, m hm. And that's because

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<v Speaker 1>it's not yet Labor Day, and then it's acceptable. Still

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<v Speaker 1>is that still a thing? Oh? Was it ever? I

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<v Speaker 1>think so? Yeah. I think that, um, gangs of angry

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<v Speaker 1>people would beat you senseless if they saw you wearing

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<v Speaker 1>white after Labor Day. Gangs of angry boaters and country clubs. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe clutching their pearls. We're talking Labor Day, Yeah, we

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<v Speaker 1>are talking Labor Day. And a lot of people kind

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<v Speaker 1>of look at Labor Day and say that's a weird

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<v Speaker 1>name for a day off to go have a picnic

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<v Speaker 1>before we have to go back to school or something. Sure,

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<v Speaker 1>and that is a pretty appropriate thought if you think

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<v Speaker 1>about it, because it really doesn't have anything to do

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<v Speaker 1>with labor. Um. It's a day off, which is something,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's not a day off for everybody. It just

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<v Speaker 1>seems insensible until you start to know the origins of

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<v Speaker 1>Labor Day and you say, oh, it came out of

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<v Speaker 1>the labor unions, hence the name labor Day. Let's get

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<v Speaker 1>back to that. Yeah, exactly. Uh, as far as national

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<v Speaker 1>holidays in the US and Canada, it's been around since

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<v Speaker 1>about eighteen, well since exactly eight And it was, like

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<v Speaker 1>you said, labor unions. They don't know exactly who started

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<v Speaker 1>this tradition, but I think scholars generally say one of

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<v Speaker 1>two people, both involved in labor unions probably did so. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>one Waster McGuire and the other one was Matthew McGuire,

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<v Speaker 1>two different spellings, but um they I saw somewhere that

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<v Speaker 1>Matthew McGuire was much more radical and that um Peter

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<v Speaker 1>McGuire was much more um centrist. He was the chill one.

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<v Speaker 1>So he was the one that gets He got the

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<v Speaker 1>official credit over time, but it may have actually really

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<v Speaker 1>been Matthew McGuire. He was just overlooked because he was like,

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<v Speaker 1>let's have let's have some labor party rallies and maybe

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<v Speaker 1>we'll throw some bombs or something. Possibly, so Peter McGuire

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<v Speaker 1>with a C. He was a general secretary of the

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<v Speaker 1>And I love this, the Brotherhood of Carpenters and joiners.

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<v Speaker 1>And I guess they mean joiner is as a woodworking joiner. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I think they mean like people who like to join clubs. Different. No, sure,

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<v Speaker 1>it's gotta be right because it's follows carpenters. But I mean, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess that's what that means. Nothing like a dovetailed joint, right,

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<v Speaker 1>that's what it is that really gets my blood flowing.

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<v Speaker 1>But shouldn't it be jointers? I don't know. I bet

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<v Speaker 1>you someone will have some good information on this, like

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<v Speaker 1>a joiner was a former name for carpenter or something, right,

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<v Speaker 1>but well, so McGuire. Peter McGuire's claimed to fame. Other

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<v Speaker 1>claim to fame was um that he co founded the

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<v Speaker 1>a f L. What, Yeah, the American Federation of Labor.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought you met the American Football League. No, who

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<v Speaker 1>was that? Well? I don't know, Okay, So the the

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<v Speaker 1>whoever came up with the idea it's murky, but we

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<v Speaker 1>actually do know. The first Labor Day that was September five,

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<v Speaker 1>eight two, and it took place in New York and

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<v Speaker 1>it was like a real deal Labor Day thing. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>the parade, Yeah, and the whole the whole reason behind

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<v Speaker 1>the First Labor Day Parade was like, at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>if you worked, you worked in a factory most likely,

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<v Speaker 1>and you worked anywhere between twelve and tend to twelve

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<v Speaker 1>to fourteen hour days, seven days a week. And so

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<v Speaker 1>these labor unions were starting to organize, but they were

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<v Speaker 1>you know, they were pretty good at organizing people in

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<v Speaker 1>their trade, but they weren't coming together to to really

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<v Speaker 1>join their strengths. And so whoever's idea this was to

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<v Speaker 1>have this first Labor Day parade. The basis of it

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<v Speaker 1>was get all these different people from different unions together

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<v Speaker 1>and so they can see that they have all this

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<v Speaker 1>stuff in common, and then maybe we can really become, like, um,

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<v Speaker 1>a strong political force and we can agitate for like

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<v Speaker 1>a five day work week and eight hour work days.

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<v Speaker 1>And they were successful, but it came out of this

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<v Speaker 1>first this first parade that they had. Yeah, they were like, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>we get all Thanksgiving, Christmas in the fourth of July,

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<v Speaker 1>how about one extra day off? Yeah, and and for

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<v Speaker 1>this first labor day and for other ones too, they

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<v Speaker 1>were like, well, no, you can't have the day off.

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<v Speaker 1>So it was a general strike, is how they took

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<v Speaker 1>the day off. Yeah. So enter President Cleveland, Mr Grover Cleveland.

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<v Speaker 1>And uh is an interesting background because he was not

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<v Speaker 1>a union supporter. But everyone thinks when he signed the

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<v Speaker 1>law saying the first Monday in September shall be Labor

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<v Speaker 1>Day nationwide, while I grew up mustache or shaved the beard,

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<v Speaker 1>especially as you can tell pretty good Chuck. But most

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<v Speaker 1>people think that even though he wasn't a union supporter,

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<v Speaker 1>he was trying to, uh, sort of put himself in

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<v Speaker 1>a better light because of some political damage earlier that year.

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<v Speaker 1>He sent federal troops in to put down a strike.

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<v Speaker 1>And this was I mean, I know we covered some

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<v Speaker 1>of this in the Union's Long Unions episode, but a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of times these strikes became you know, bloody battles

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<v Speaker 1>and riots, and uh, a strike by the American Railway

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<v Speaker 1>Union at the Pullman Company in Chicago did just that

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<v Speaker 1>and thirty four workers died. So they think Cleveland was

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<v Speaker 1>like all right, Uh, you're gonna have a day off.

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<v Speaker 1>I saw both things. I saw that Cleveland saw this

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<v Speaker 1>as politically healing, you know, it was like like a

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<v Speaker 1>boney was tossing to the to the unions and a

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<v Speaker 1>labor in general. I also saw that that Congress had

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<v Speaker 1>a bill um going in circulation years before this happened,

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<v Speaker 1>and that Cleveland just happened to be the president who

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<v Speaker 1>was sitting at the time, and so he was the

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<v Speaker 1>one who signed it. And really it wasn't any any

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<v Speaker 1>political tool at all. So I saw both but either

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<v Speaker 1>way it did. It did come on the heels of

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<v Speaker 1>that for sure, and that was a that was a

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<v Speaker 1>big deal, that strike. I was looking into it, Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>and there's like, um, like the whole thing started because

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<v Speaker 1>some some workers from the Pullman Company. Pullman made railroad

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<v Speaker 1>cars at the time, like the popular ones like the

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<v Speaker 1>good on the Pullman yard here in Atlanta, right right.

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<v Speaker 1>So they went to to the head of the company,

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<v Speaker 1>I think either George or Charles Pullman, and said, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>we we want to we want to work fewer hours.

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<v Speaker 1>We think we're working too much for too little pay.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, oh, that's great, I'll take it into consideration

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<v Speaker 1>and like true Montgomery burns fashion. He fired the people

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<v Speaker 1>for even asking and so that started this whole, this

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<v Speaker 1>whole strike that ended up, Like you said, it was bloody.

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<v Speaker 1>There are riots. They were overturning railroad cars. Overturning railroad cars.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you know how hard that would be? I imagine

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<v Speaker 1>that was rope involved, I would hope. So, yeah, in

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<v Speaker 1>the Incredible Hulk, should we take a little quick break. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm a little worked up. All right, We're gonna take

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<v Speaker 1>a quickie everybody, and we will come back and finish

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<v Speaker 1>up about Labor Day right after this, all right? So, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>what's Labor Day like around the world, Josh? It has

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<v Speaker 1>other names in different parts of the world's at right, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and it takes place at different times, like May Day.

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<v Speaker 1>May one is known internationally, is like the the day

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<v Speaker 1>of workers, basically what Labor Day was originally to America.

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<v Speaker 1>Um May Day is to the rest of the world,

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<v Speaker 1>especially Europe and China and some other places. And it's

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<v Speaker 1>been definitely co opted as a kind of a communist

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<v Speaker 1>day too. Interesting, Yeah, which is another reason why we

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<v Speaker 1>don't really tend to celebrate May Day. We celebrate Labor

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<v Speaker 1>Day in a totally different part of the year. Nothing

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<v Speaker 1>to do with communism. Yeah, and I actually looked up

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<v Speaker 1>the origins of this whole white after Labor Day and

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<v Speaker 1>are old buddies at Mental Floss and new buddies here

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<v Speaker 1>at work will in mangsh I don't know if they

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<v Speaker 1>wrote this one, but apparently that came in the eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>eighties or so post Civil War, when uh, new money

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<v Speaker 1>started happening, and apparently the old money people were like, geez,

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<v Speaker 1>there's more rich people now than ever, and we can't

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<v Speaker 1>distinguish between the rich folks. So I'm on an old

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<v Speaker 1>blue blood and this guy just made his money and

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know whatever they were making back then that

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<v Speaker 1>could make you rich. Um chewing gum, radio knobs, radio knobs.

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<v Speaker 1>He's got new money. So they felt the need the

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<v Speaker 1>old blue bloods too, uh design a bunch of silly

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<v Speaker 1>like fashion rules and society rules, Uh that I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know if only they would know about it. Yeah, just

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<v Speaker 1>doing trapped people maybe, but as a way to distinguish,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, old money and true rich people from these

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<v Speaker 1>vulgar new rich people. And apparently not wearing white outside

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<v Speaker 1>of summer was just one of those rules that was

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<v Speaker 1>so those were the very people who would beat you

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<v Speaker 1>senseless if they caught you wearing white. That was the

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<v Speaker 1>other part of it too, not just feeling foolish, but

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<v Speaker 1>feeling vulnerable tremendous paint. But they do confirm that these

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<v Speaker 1>days it's not a big deal. I think it's just

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<v Speaker 1>kind of become more of a joke now when someone

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<v Speaker 1>says you don't wear white after Labor Day, I see

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<v Speaker 1>you just laugh and laugh at the joke. But as

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<v Speaker 1>far as unions go, the US now obviously is way

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<v Speaker 1>down as far as union membership in the nineteen fifties,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is pretty remarkable if you ask me about

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<v Speaker 1>of the workforce in America belong to a union. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's amazing. Yeah, they've got things done back then too.

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<v Speaker 1>What are he's saying? I think, you know, uh, and

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<v Speaker 1>now I believe and I'm not sure when this was written,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's probably roughly the same. But about four I

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<v Speaker 1>saw even lower, which I mean would definitely go on

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<v Speaker 1>to explain why labor days really lost its meaning to

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<v Speaker 1>you know. Well, now I think people know it as

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<v Speaker 1>just that sort of last blast um. Even though kids

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<v Speaker 1>start school way early now, it used to be sort

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<v Speaker 1>of around that time when you would head back to

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<v Speaker 1>school and stuff. Yeah, I was thinking about that. It

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<v Speaker 1>made me nostalgic for when I was in school, like

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<v Speaker 1>seeing like, oh yeah, Labor Day right after that you

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<v Speaker 1>would go back to school. And now it's like not

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<v Speaker 1>been in school for a full month now. Yeah, But

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<v Speaker 1>I mean I remember having like all of June, July,

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<v Speaker 1>and August off for sure. I know, now these kids

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<v Speaker 1>are back in school and August it's weird chumps. But

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<v Speaker 1>they do get a very quick break with Labor Day

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<v Speaker 1>at least, no, I know, they definitely have some pretty

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<v Speaker 1>killer breaks that we didn't have. For sure. They get

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<v Speaker 1>all the brakes. Well that's it, huh, that's that's one

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<v Speaker 1>in the can. If you happen to be listening to

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<v Speaker 1>this on Labor Day, pay yourself on the back because

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<v Speaker 1>you just created an s Y s K trifecta. There.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh that's nice, chuck, and put on something white just

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<v Speaker 1>to stick it in the eye of those blue bloods.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want to get in touch with us, you

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<v Speaker 1>can go to our website stuff you should know dot com.

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