Labor Day is the holiday in which we honor, and thank, and appreciate the men and women who make up the labor force – our highly valued employees! We appreciate and honor every single one who contributes to our success as a business. Thank You!
We know that AMS is successful because of our employees, who serve our clients with skill and dedication. Simply said, our employees are the reason that AMS Fulfillment is prospering. Labor Day recognizes the high value of America’s men and women who keep things going – all along the supply chain we find reason to appreciate labor.
Asking Google about Labor Day we get the following message:
“Observed each year on the first Monday of September, Labor Day is at heart a celebration of the hard-won achievements of America’s labor movement and a recognition of what workers have contributed to the nation’s prosperity.”
Message from the CEO
Before we talk about the history of this holiday, we’d like to offer a message of gratitude from the AMS CEO, Jay Catlin:
“As the leader and founder of AMS Fulfillment, Labor Day is incredibly meaningful to me because I know that it takes so much mental and physical energy to do what we do as a Team. Fulfillment is a pretty wild business, and through teamwork, coordination, attention to detail, hard work and intelligence, we help other businesses succeed with the service we provide, while also helping AMS grow and thrive as a national player in 3rd party fulfillment. Ours is a People business and I have so much appreciation and respect for the people at AMS that make it happen each day. My respect goes out to all hard-working citizens who contribute their gifts, talents and energy at work as they make their way through life… and my sincerest gratitude goes out to Team AMS as we have built something special together over the past 22+ years!”
The History of Labor Day
The Labor Day holiday originated during a time when workers faced long hours, unsafe conditions and low wages. It was the height of the Industrial Revolution when labor unions went to battle for reasonable hours, safe conditions, and a living wage. We went to the History website [LINK] for information on how it began.
“Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
“Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, on February 21, 1887. During 1887, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.”
Who is the Founder
Apparently there are two people in competition for the founder credit – the representative of the machinists or the representative of the carpenters!
“Some records show that in 1882, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested setting aside a day for a “general holiday for the laboring classes” to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”
“But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that machinist Matthew Maguire, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday.
“Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.”
How to Celebrate
There will be some parades, and some speeches, and some workers getting the day off and some workers at their jobs getting ‘holiday pay’. Labor Day is also a picnic in the park with family, an outing to the movies, and just plain rest and relaxation. However you celebrate, we want it to be a day of appreciation for the men and women who keep the business of the world running, keep our deliveries coming, keep us fed and housed, keep our cars repaired, build the houses, stock the shelves at the grocery store – there is nothing more valuable than the men and women who make up the labor force!
“American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.”
Happy Labor Day to all!
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AMS Fulfillment is a Certified B Corporation, dedicated to People and Planet before Profit. We work to B the Change we wish to see in the world.
