Eagle Feathers #212 – A Day for Laborers

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

On June 28, 1894, a little over 126 years ago, the United States Congress and America’s 24th President Grover Cleveland signed into law and recognized that the first Monday in September would become Labor Day, a federal holiday.

Twelve years earlier on September 5, 1882, between ten and twenty thousand working men of all trades marched from City Hall to Union Square. This was not in Somerville, but in New York City’s Union Square. It was the first Labor Day parade in America.

Today, this holiday honors no particular individual or event. It celebrates the contributions and achievements of all of our American workers. Because of its floating date, it is always on a Monday. This rewards us with a three-day weekend bridging the twilight of summer for sad returning vacationers and the sunrise of autumn for even sadder returning students.    

Early on, the observance of Labor Day’s goal was to end twelve-hour work days, seven-day work weeks, unsafe working conditions and the abuses of child labor. Now, during more promising times, parties, street parades, cookouts, and relaxation are the norm.

For 44 years covering over two generations between 1967 and 2011, singer, actor, comedian, philanthropist and humanitarian, Jerry Lewis was a Labor Day crusader for disadvantaged children. His Labor Day weekend telethons made billions of dollars for “Jerry’s Kids” and the Muscular Dystrophy cause.

In 1942, George E. Graney, father of retired Somerville Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Graney, was a five-year Boston firefighter. He was part of the initial fire crew that worked at the horrific Coconut Grove nightclub inferno which took 492 lives, nine of whom were from Somerville.

Six years later, this exceptional man would establish the famous national, “Fill the Boot” drive for Muscular Dystrophy. Over the years, firefighters were Jerry’s largest contributors. They have donated more than $650 million since 1954 and still carry on the tradition today. Last year they broke their own record for their “Fill the Boot” campaign, contributing over $26 million. Unfortunately, this year has been a difficult time for most Americans. Hopefully together we can pull up our bootstraps and labor through this together.

Happy Labor Day to everyone!