By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Weekend Editor

Labor Day is almost an oxymoron because most people do not work on the holiday.

Some consider Labor Day to be a day celebrating those who have worked over the past year, rewarding them with an extra day off and making a long weekend. Those who think that are partially right.

The origins of the holiday go back over 100 years. In 1894, railroad workers for Pullman went on strike due to mass layoffs. Many of the workers lived on property that was owned and rent-controlled by Pullman. When many of the people were put out of work, their rent stayed the same. The workers and former workers organized, went on strike, and caused havoc for a number of weeks.

President Grover Cleveland deployed 12,000 troops and declared the strike a federal crime. Violence erupted between the two sides, thousands of men were injured and several soldiers and workers died. The strike ended shortly afterward, Aug. 3, 1894, but the striking workers proved themselves a political priority in the upcoming elections, a priority that must be appeased.

The workers had come up with the idea of Labor Day almost two years before the strike. After all the bloody turmoil, Congress created and passed legislation quickly through both houses, recognizing Labor Day as a national holiday. Reluctantly, Cleveland signed the legislation to appease the striking workers.

Labor Day was now a national holiday, a day for union members to come together. Interestingly, Cleveland was not reelected that November, but the legislation stuck and the birth of a three-day weekend began.

In 1898, Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, described the holiday as “the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and wrongs would be discussed. That the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it.”

Today, America is quite distanced from the origins of Labor Day. In 1995, fewer than 15 percent of U.S. workers belonged to unions. What was once conceived as a testament to the labor unions' cause has become an extra day off before the end of the summer. It is celebrated by most companies, and federal, state and local government employees also enjoy the extra day off. A large number of people travel during the long weekend to have one more day of festive summer fun.

AAA Auto Club South estimates that 34.8 million Americans will travel 100 miles or more over the holiday. That number would be the second highest number of travelers ever. This near record number also comes despite an 18 cent increase in gas prices over the same period last year. The Southeast is second only to the West in providing the most auto travelers.

There will be plenty to do in the area this weekend. First and foremost, it's high school and college football kickoff weekend. All of the local teams will play either Friday or Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Secondly, the 29th annual Powers Crossroads festival will take place in Newnan. The festival will feature arts and crafts, food and entertainment.

Callaway Gardens has a full weekend of activities planned. The gardens will feature a triathalon, as well as a hot air balloon festival, and its usual assortment of biking, swimming, fishing and hiking.

So, while most Americans will fire up the grill, throw on a pair shorts and enjoy the beautiful weather before heading back to work without a day off until Thanksgiving, almost no one will think of the workers who went on strike against unfair labor practices. As you watch the first full weekend of college football or the Braves as they try to enter the playoffs once again, remember that as time has passed, things have improved for the American worker.

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