EDITORIAL: Labor Day: What does it mean now?

Our hope is you are having a wonderful day off today. After all, it's Labor Day. It's the day we celebrate the American worker by not working. Oh, but in reality that doesn't happen much anymore. Most stores are open. So are restaurants.It's still a great day to celebrate. The people who will line the street for the Englewood Pioneer Days parade are likely off today. So are the people who will march and ride in the iconic parade that helps wrap up the Pioneer Days celebration. Have you ever wondered how Labor Day came to be? We've reported this before, but it's worth repeating. Some give credit to the Knights of Labor, an important American labor organization in 1882. The Knights had a public parade in New York City featuring members of other labor unions, including the Central Labor Union of New York. Matthew Maguire, secretary of the CLU, proposed a national holiday for the first Monday of each September to mark the success of that day's events. Others credit the founding of Labor Day to Peter J. McGuire, vice president of the American Federation of Labor. In the spring of 1882, he proposed a holiday for the 'laboring classes' to the CLU which should begin with a parade and fundraiser for local unions. He suggested the first Monday in September because the weather was usually good and the day falls between July 4 and Thanksgiving. It became an official U.S. holiday in 1894. Americans have reason to thank the unions and early laborers. Some will criticize unions for heavy-handed politics or accuse them of taking advantage of workers. But there is no doubt workers in the U.S. have benefited from their efforts. Unions do not have the sway today they did 20 or 30 years ago. You could use that as a reason that American workers are no longer leading the parade. While U.S. workers are still the best paid in the world in most cases, there are issues. The number of American workers with health insurance has dwindled the past several years as employers have trimmed benefits. Other employers typically hire more workers and offer them less than full-time hours to limit any benefits. We all hear about inflation and the problems that is causing. We actually saw gas edge over $4 a gallon in Charlotte County this weekend. To say the American worker is being challenged would be accurate. We still can boast of some of the highest wages in the world, however. The median weekly earnings for full-time workers in the U.S. was $1,204 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This equals about $62,608 per year for a standard full-time work year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases monthly statistics tracking the wages of all employees who don't work for the government. In July 2026, the average weekly wage in Florida was $1,239 — about $4,956 a month. That represents the wages of 8.9 million private-sector workers in the state. Compare that to the year 2000 when the Census says Median household income in the United States was $42,148 — about $3,520 a month. The American worker is making more money than ever, which is expected. If it doesn't seem like it, blame inflation, poor budgeting or corporate demands for profits. The best idea though is to enjoy your day off — if you got one today.