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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Cavender (573)
751-7500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2006
A Time to Remember Past and Present Workers
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri has celebrated Labor Day for over 100 years by recognizing the contributions made by working men and women. To commemorate this holiday, the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations would like to take time to remember past workers and applaud the nearly three million men and women working in Missouri.
“For most people, work is more than just a job; it provides a means for supporting families; it provides the basic necessities that contribute to our safety and most importantly, work means dignity,” said Rod Chapel, director of the Missouri Department of Labor. “Labor Day also gives us the opportunity to reflect on those American workers whose determination and hard work in the decades before allow us to have the freedom to enjoy this holiday.”
Missouri wasn’t far behind the United States Congress, declaring Labor Day a state holiday in April 1895, one year after the federal holiday was declared. Peter McGuire, known as the “Father of Labor Day” by some, also played a key role in Missouri labor history. After moving to St. Louis in 1877, McGuire helped win the Missouri’s legislature’s support for one of the first Bureaus of Labor Statistics in the United States. Still in his 20s, McGuire was appointed deputy commissioner of the new bureau but resigned in 1879 to organize a union of carpenters. In 2004, McGuire was inducted into the US Department of Labor’s Hall of Fame.
Missouri also has three labor unions that are honored in the US Department of Labor’s “Century of Service Honor Roll of American Labor Organizations.” The “Century of Service” honors labor unions that have reached their 100th anniversary. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of St. Louis was established in 1891; the Transportation Communications International Union in Sedalia in 1899; and the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers in 1903.
While workers face challenges in today’s rapidly changing workplace, there is cause for optimism in Missouri. Missouri’s economy has made great strides over the last year and a half due in large part to the pro-jobs, pro-growth policies enacted by Governor Matt Blunt and the Missouri Legislature. The strong employment trend in this great state continues to rise. Since January 2005, over 50,000 new jobs have been created in Missouri and the unemployment rate has consistently been below the national average.
To further recognize the importance of Labor Day, the Missouri Department of Labor sent “Labor Day Activity Ideas” to various schools around the state, shared a history of the labor movement with employees and employers statewide on its web site and will feature a proclamation signed by Governor Blunt declaring Labor Day “Missouri Worker Appreciation Day.”
Although times have changed since 1895 when Missouri first declared Labor Day a state holiday, one thing remains the same – the commitment and hard work of Missouri workers to make this state a great place to live and work.
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Information and Planning · 421 East Dunklin
· P.O. Box 504 · Jefferson City, MO
65102-0504
573-751-7500 · 573-751-6552 (Fax)
Relay Missouri: 1-800-735-2966 (TDD) 1-800-735-2466 (Voice)