Shall we change the name?

Another Labor Day has come and gone. To many of us, its passing signals the end of long summer days and the transition into autumn weather before its meteorological appearance. But thinking about Labor Day’s roots in the country’s labor movement of the 19th century can add another dimension to its meaning for Americans today.

The reality of daily life for workers in the United States has changed dramatically since 1882, when the first Labor Day was observed by about 10,000 laborers in New York City. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website, bls.gov, 12.3 percent of wage and salary workers belonged to unions in 2009. In 1983, in contrast, the first year in which comparable data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent.

With more jobs being supplied by small businesses, and recession-driven reductions in jobs and benefits at the larger employers, unions have lost some of their wider effect on the private sector. Even government employees at the state level who are unionized have had to face layoffs or reductions in hours or pay, and they will have to face more if state budgets are to be balanced.

The national unemployment rate remains at 9.6 percent, so there were too many Americans who found themselves without work this Labor Day. For those who have been jobless for many months, continued unemployment payments may help pay the bills, but they don’t fill empty days and frustration over underused skills and talents. And those payments are insufficient to support a family over the long term.

It will take some creative and very original thinking on the part of this country’s entrepreneurs to find ways to create new jobs that will lift the U.S. economy out of its funk. Those ground-breakers will need support and encouragement from those at all levels of government, local, state and federal, if they are to succeed. Let’s hope those running for office, and those remaining in office, thought hard this Labor Day about those of their constituents who are unemployed or underemployed, or who are struggling to support their families by working two or three part-time jobs with no benefits.

Workers need to find some new hope, again, just as they did in 1882 when they created Labor Day out of a movement that valued their skills and their safety at work. Maybe for the 21st century, we should change the name of the holiday to Entrepreneur’s Day, or Create a New Business Day, to make it more relevant to the world as it is now. 
 

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less