Labor Day 2018: A Day to Commemorate or Commiserate?

Labor Day, created by the American labor movement in the late nineteenth-century and declared a federal holiday in 1894, was intended to be an annual national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Today, when income inequality is worsening, and organized labor is on the defensive on many fronts, perhaps we should consider how and why these two phenomena are related. We might also consider how to interpret our UU affirmation of the inherent worth and dignity of every person in this context.