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Show By Jack Wallis 'ITJK I Labor Day Next Monday is Labor Day. This will be the last general holiday for most workers until Thanksgiving. It is also the signal that summer is nearly over, school is starting and it's time to get ready for autumn and winter. But actually, besides the excuse for another long weekend holiday, Labor Day is a time to pay tribute to the working class, those who do all the work. Although it may be argued that Labor Day is a day to pay tribute to those who have paid the price and have succeeded in performing a vital service to mankind, everyone has to work and that there is no distinction between those who have to work and those who do not, Labor Day is a tribute to those who work. After a period of high unemployment unemploy-ment and scarce jobs, Labor Day has a different significance for some. Instead In-stead of the usual tribute to the working work-ing class, Labor Day should also be a tribute to the jobs that are still available and supporting the working class. To be able to work whether it is through acquiring a skill, training for a profession or venturing into the free enterprise system of ones own business is one of the greatest opportunities oppor-tunities provided by a free society. Under a free society hard work is usually rewarded by financial rewards of profits which provides the incentive to put forth greater efforts to excel to gain even further financial gain. When an honest day's pay is given for an honest day's work the struggle between labor and management is pretty well in balance. But when labor wants more of the profit slice and when management squeezes labor with low wages, poor working conditions con-ditions and too much stress, the labor-management labor-management balance is thrown out of balance and problems take place. Unions were first organized to help give labor a more powerful position in requiring fair salaries and working conditions. But some union leaders began to become tyrants and were possessed with excessive demands to give the workers a better living. Then it became mandatory to join a union if one wanted to gain a job in many lines of employment. Employees lost their freedom to work for large companies com-panies without joining a labor union. Labor unions have had their ups and downs. In some areas they are strong and in others they are losing strength. If management would provide the needs of workers, unions would have no means of existence. Some businesses have been successful in keeping unions out, others have not. It is hard to say whether unions are needed, need-ed, sometimes they are and sometimes they are just an added expense ex-pense that cuts into profits and add costs that are passed on down to the consumer. No matter what viewpoint one takes we have come a long way in labor-management labor-management solutions and we enjoy a higher standard of living because of the willingness to work on the part of labor and the willingness to reward workers for their efforts by management. As long as a balance is maintained between wages, profits and taxes, so goods and services can be produced and performed at a price that the average consumer can afford, our economic society can function. But when one sector gouges the other, problems pro-blems erupt. So every year we set aside a day to pay tribute to the laboring class to pat each other on the back for all their hard work. This Labor Day let's all take a bow and give appreciation to whatever way we are able to provide for ourselves and our families. We say thanks for the ability to work. We hope there will always be jobs enough to go around for those who are willing to become qualified to perform per-form the tasks at hand. Good jobs just don't drop down from the sky, they are earned by long years of preparation, training and hard work. |