Labor Day Messages and Iconic Sessions

Labor Day marks the end of summer and for many it is the last care-free summer holiday before fall schedules and school take over.   Sterling Photography International sends out Happy Labor Day greetings to the 162 million American workers who enrich our country today.  

Family Time and Fun Time to Close the Summer Season

It is true that picnics, parties and parades will consume our nation’s energy this coming week-end.

We will celebrate Monday’s holiday spirit with camping, swimming, boating, and back-yard barbecuing.

We want you to relax and take some leisure time. It is ironic we call it Labor Day, but the point of it is to avoid work.

Yes, rest, relax and rejuvenate with the last long week-end of the summer.

A Note on the New Iconic Shoot

Nothing fits the profile of relaxation better than our Iconic Session model. Her images reflect some soft and leisurely moments. If you do not know about the Iconic Session, be sure you catch up by reading our previous blog. In that most recent article, we premiered all the details of this new type of photographic session, designed especially for our Sterling brides. And the Iconic Session brings with it a very special box of images for the groom’s wedding gift.

On a Serious Labor Day Note:  Do You Know the Heritage of this Holiday?

However, Sterling Photography International departs from our normal topics of wedding photography to bring you a special Labor Day blog, which illuminates some of the history and heritage of the day. Sterling and his staff send out a sincere wish that everyone could take a moment to honor the meaning and the heart behind of this holiday.

Sometimes we get so involved with picnics and parades and parties, that we forget the reason this holiday was nationalized. And if we, as adults, forget, how can we expect future generations to remember?

The First US Labor Day:  An Historic Quiet Protest

Although known in Canada as part of May celebrations, the first American Labor Day was in New York City, and it’s quite a story:

• Basically, the entire idea was instigated by 10,000 working who decided to march in protest.
• And they had plenty of injustice to protest in the days of the Industrial Revolution.  Just imagine the working conditions of that time period. The Industrial Revolution brought:
• Unsafe working conditions,
• Child labor,
• Low pay,
• 10-16 hour work days.

And labor protests of the time period were tumultuous, often riotous revolts. But that day, September 5, 1882, that first Labor Day was a simple march–and a picnic.

That’s right. Instead of violence, the protesting and speeches erupted in massive picnicking after the picketing. They chose their cause with care. They marched against the inhumanity of the ten hour work day.

Labor Reform and a Change We Still Enjoy

However, the government was slow to move on labor laws. American workers waited until 1916 for the new, radical 8 hour day to become legal, by the authority of the Adamson Act.

And there is more behind that story in the eyes of history.  That story begins in 1893 and it was not as peaceful as the Labor Day demonstration a year earlier:

• When an economic depression caused a downturn in the purchase of railcars for passenger trains, the so-called Pullman Strikes broke out.
• “Railroad company owner George Pullman cut workers’ wages but refused to lower their rents. A nation-wide labor strike ensued…” The President of the US at that time, Grover Cleveland called in military muscle…” to stop the nation-wide strike.
• Police and public clashed and the results included  “30 deaths, 57 injured, and $80M dollars in property damage.”

A Very Political Outcome

So we can understand that President Cleveland was eager to make up with workers. He was quite motivated to recognize Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894. He pushed Congress into making it official. So they got the Holid

ay in their honor before they got the laws to protect average workers.  You see, it would be 23 more years before the Adamson Act passed, and the 8-hour workday and 40-hour work-week became the law of the land.

And the moral of the story is…

The above snippets of stories from Labor Day are only a part of the history of labor reform in this country, but they include some of the forgotten statistics behind the Holiday we are about to enjoy.

We take things like air conditioning, heat, sprinkler systems for fire prevention and working elevators completely for granted.

But Labor Day was established to honor the workers and law-makers who brought us those luxuries, one demonstration at a time, one fight at a time, and one law at a time. So we’ve put some gratitude in our Labor Day attitude here at Sterling Photography International.

Back to the 21st Century:  More Traffic Means More Danger

Labor Day Like all summer holidays, is also a time of great traffic as we exit our cities to outlying parks, lakes and beaches.Thus we take a moment to caution you about traffic safety.  We don’t want any of our friends, clients or future clients and friends to become statistical victims.

• CBS News recently reported, “Knowing these dangers probably will not deter you from driving to your holiday celebrations.”
• And they added, their number one safety driving tip for all holidays. “Texting or other distracted driving is more dangerous than driving drunk. If you need to tell your relatives you are running late, pull over.”
• Although time with family, fun and food excites us for our Labor Day Holiday, the traffic statistics fill us with dismay. “According to The National Safety Council (NSC), over each Labor Day weekend approximately 400 Americans on average are involved in fatal car accidents.
• An additional approximately 49,000 people will experience non-fatal medically consulted injuries (injuries serious enough to seek medical care).”
• We feel obligated to caution you about the consumption of alcohol and driving on the nation’s busy holiday roads.  We’re not being party-poopers. Sure, have a good time with family and friends at your parties. But we caution you to either hire transportation or designate a sober driver after the party or picnic.

We post these alerts because life is precious. Often we see it at 125th of a second as we capture fleeting photographic moments. We see this

lesson in the blink of an eye…

the touch of a kiss…

the sudden intake or release of breath…

Thus, we are concerned about your life and the lives of your friends. Drink responsibly are magic words.

Breaking News:  Alarming Labor Day Statistics

The National Safety Council has issued special alerts about this year’s traffic. The figures for 2018 might be worse than the previous average and approximate ones. The National Safety Council has increased the average estimate to “420 people may die on U.S. roads this Labor Day holiday period.”

By the Way, Labor Day is More than a Day

When you read statistics such as the ones above, keep in mind they often refer to the entire long week-end, not just one day. Did you know that officially, Labor Day is 3.25-day weekend consisting of Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday and Monday? In 2018, the Labor Day weekend extends from 6 p.m. Friday, August 31, to 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 3.

Sterling and his staff urge you to drive safely and enjoy this unique holiday.

We also hope you appreciate the Day that has come to our country through the hard fought workers of Industrial Revolution.

Now that we have seen some history and statistics behind the holiday, it’s easy to reflect upon all that workers of this country have done–and continue to do–to make our country run.

Now, go have some time with family, food and fun in the last relaxing days of the summer sun. Get energized for autumn.