Labour Day is a celebration of the fruit's of our Labour? Harvest? Is it to celebrate labour, the people that work for a living? Which is most of us! Or is it about Organized Labour, Union's in general?
I'm not sure so I go look it up.
Google says;
In 1882, American labour leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labour festivals in Toronto. Inspired, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labor day" on 5 September of the same year.
Then this from the Canadian Encyclopedia;
I learned,
Labour Day has its roots in an 1872 printers’ strike in Toronto. Fighting for a nine-hour work day, the strikers’ victory was a major milestone in the changing relations between Canadian workers and their government.
Nine Hour Movement
In a time when the news of labour "strife" is dominated by disputes between millionaire athletes and billionaire owners, history provides a useful perspective on a period when working people had to fight to work less than 12 hours a day. The "Nine Hour Movement" began in Hamilton, Ontario, and then spread to Toronto, where its demands were taken up by the Toronto Typographical Union.
I'm thinking about now and all the people not working and getting paid somehow, some on the street, and some find themselves in comfortable homes living off other's Labour as they make statements of the lazy, or unproductive, those that are barely making it with the costs of living now!
I remember going to Scotland years ago, learning where organized labour started, and how. Was from the beginning of group's that made something that was specialized like hats, and leather good's, and many others that only so many people could do. There was the start of people organized and grouping together to demand a better price for their product or pay for their service.
We've come a long way, and here we are organized labour watching as job's that used to be here in Canada and USA are exported, or people are imported here as business always looking for the lowest price for labour.
Why? Because us the consumers always wants the cheeper price for what we want to buy, or services we want to have.
I like to go to the reason this happens, see what's really going on. I'm not a great thinker, but I do like to understand why things happen, what drives this here world 🌍
Today on the weekend we celebrate Labour, I'm thinking we have almost come full circle! We now have imported people to our country to do the jobs here our own people in our country will not do like pick fruit, serve in tim Hortons, clean our hotels, fight our fires, just to name a few. If you started to put together a list I'm sure you & I would be surprised at just how many jobs business have through our government brought in people to do jobs here with labour from there that do not have any citizenship or even rights here in Canada's wealthy country.
I can't really imagine what the future will bring for our youth that are just starting out, our grandchildren, I can't see them even having enough $$$ to ever afford a home of their own, a sticks & bricks home. When I started out a home was affordable, $25,000. Was my first home. Now looking it'll be more like $300,000. Or more to get what we would call a starter home in a small town like Port Alberni, and even more in others places, $1,000,000. Is the new price for a 20-30 year old home in many places across this country.
How will labour organization's demand enough for the labour their membership needs to pay for a home? Even with 2 people working in a home at good paying jobs, the cost of living is very different that when I started out. How will our society survive if we continue to bring labour in that really doesn't give back to our society, rather they take the $$ they make home to their country, how does that better our country?
Maybe a rant here, but I guess I'm just saying how, how can we continue this way?
I've said many times I'm glad I lived when I did, as we did have it all. I'm hopeful for our youth, and their children. I'm also unsure how this can continue.
Polly & I have a pension, some we got from government taking a portion from our wages, some I got from Union taking from my wages. I'm glad now we have these pensions, there are many that have none, or very little. As for the people coming from other countries to work here, it's a gift to them to do whatever job they can, rather than starve where they come from. I don't begrudge them a living, just believe that if you work here, be better if you lived here. I'm sure they would if they could, but business and government along with us wanting the cheeper deal, keep them working for less, less that we that live here expect for our labour.
So this weekend I think we can thank the labour leaders & ourselves (I stood on a few picket lines) for giving us decent wages and working conditions. Also the labourers that come here, and do what our people won't, along with all the others that work in other countries that have poor wages and poor working conditions that produce so we can shop at the dollar stores for cheap goods, and get cheap clothes along with expensive runners that are made on cheap labour.
Always my reminder when I purchase, where is it made?
How come it's so cheap?
I was surprised to see this on the bottom of these crates in Walmart, Made in Canada!
My thought was made where, and by who? What were the working conditions? How much was the pay? I'm sure they weren't in an organized union.
Happy Labour Day Weekend to all, let's hope our grandchildren will be able to have as good a life as us, and hope others from other countries can make it here and enjoy our good life too, they are working for it, without the benefits 🙁
Polly just thanked me for the coffee ☕ ☕ I made this morning, she said "Your hired! You made just the right amount of coffee!"
Gee, I got a job 😁 WOW
I wonder what the wages are?
Will I need a union? 🤔
What kinda benefits are there? 😁
Will I have to pay taxes? 🙄
I love this life 🤗❤️
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