Don't Mess With Taxes

Labor Day isn't a holiday for some workers. They are on the job helping customers. (Photo by Ron Lach)

Happy Labor Day!

This holiday, which we celebrate with a three-day weekend, was created in the late 1800s to “recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.”

States were the first to officially adopt the holiday. New York led the way as the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law, on February 21, 1887, recognizing Labor Day.

That year, four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and early advocate New York — passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania soon followed suit, and by 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday.

Then it was Uncle Sam’s turn. On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year the legal Labor Day holiday.

For many of us, Labor Day means a day off work. But there are lots of workers, including small businesses owners, who must labor on the holiday.

If you encounter these workers today, be thankful that you get to enjoy the holiday and that they are working to meet your needs.

Labor Day, union contributions to all: Originally, workers’ efforts were, true to the origin of the holiday, spotlighted in parades and public picnics.

New York City's first Labor Day parade. (Image courtesy U.S. Department of Labor)

Many of the parade participants were union members, who marched down Main Streets with banners and their tools of trade.

Their public appearances also reminds me of unions’ early goals, starting with breaks in long hours of labor.

Labor movement's accomplishments
poster by Ricardo Levins Morales.

Early twentieth century labor activists not only advocated for clearly defined work hours, but also a minimum wage. That led to the 40-hour workweek and minimum wage becoming low in 1938 with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Though I grew up in West Texas, a place not know for pro-union attitudes, my oilfield toiling father always reminded by brother and me of how union efforts to improve workplaces had been adopted by non-union employers, too.

That's why we never crossed picket lines. It's also why Dad wouldn't let Mom buy lettuce during the farmworkers' strikes of the 1960s.

I always suspected a secondary reason was that he didn't like salads that she insisted on serving at dinner. But at least he made the workers' rights message clear, too.

Changing workplaces, demands: In modern workplaces, it seems as if many workers are willing to surrender such gains, especially in non-manufacturing situations.

They (and yes, me, too often) are constantly connected to work thanks to modern devices, and the implication that it’s the way to get ahead in the workplace.

That changed somewhat during the COVID-19 pandemic. When offices shut down during the coronavirus outbreak, the ability to work remotely was adopted by companies and employees. Staff was able to get their jobs done, while also staying home to handle things like children whose schools were closed.

Workers found that work flexibility added a welcome dimension to their lives. Even after the pandemic eased, employers adopted a hybrid approach, allowing personnel to work from home (WFH) some days, and come into the office for the others.

Now, however, it looks like the great remote work experiment is ending. More companies are requiring workers to return, full-time, to the office.

That’s prompted a type of new worker activism, to a degree. Some employees are resisting, choosing flexible office hours over pay.

But not all of us have the financial security to make such a choice. The staff at the retail businesses and restaurants open today obviously can’t work remotely.

So, again, be mindful of their attentiveness to you on what is a regular workday for them.

Keep Labor Day’s goals every day: And when you do go back into the office tomorrow, do your job. But also consider starting a new work approach that honors the original spirit of Labor Day.

Since most of us don’t have jobs that require our 24-hour attention, let go of the workplace when it’s closing time. When you’re not on the clock, shut off your phone and other devices that connect you to your daily grind.

Make it a habit to enjoy your time off, both daily and during vacations (take them!) and holidays, that Labor Day activists fought for more than a century ago. Today’s union members continue to work to maintain these, and other, worker benefits, which ultimately transfer, to a degree, to non-union workplaces.

As you can see, that’s what I’m doing today in this post that doesn’t mention taxes.

Oh sure, all this talk about work implies pay, which is subject to an income tax at the federal and most state levels. But no Internal Revenue Code specifics today. I’m taking the day off, too, and watching baseball.

If, however, you did click over to the ol’ blog looking for a few tax tidbits this Labor Day, you might find the previous work-and-taxes-related posts below of interest.

• Being the boss tax basics
• A Labor Day salute to new entrepreneurs
• Celebrate Labor Day by ensuring your payroll withholding is right

Either way, enjoy your Labor Day!

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