I understand why a bar, restaurant or even a big box retailer would be open on Labor Day, but over the years I’ve noticed that other places that have nothing to do with people eating, drinking or buying flatscreen TVs have “special Labor Day hours” — i.e., they are making the poor saps who work there come in on what should be a day off. This year’s prime example is the one-step-above-Supercuts strip mall barber where I get my hair cut. I asked the woman who cut my hair whether anyone comes in on Labor Day, and she said that it’s dead on that day. Plus, the “special hours” were something ridiculous like 9-3, because Yahweh forbid that we ever let a working person have a full 8 hour shift. But, the sign did have a goddam American flag on it, so I guess the underpaid barbers who are sitting in their chairs watching TV waiting for customers instead of hanging out with their families are doing their patriotic duty.
Open thread.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Sadly accurate comic today.
Zam
Well when someones ability to feed themselves and their family depends on them not losing hours, its pretty easy to make this shit happen.
Amir Khalid
America doesn’t even celebrate Labor Day on the same day that the rest of the planet celebrates Labour Day.
Oh, and do those Americans working on Labor Day get paid the public holiday rate?
Paul in KY
@Zam: Agree that a lot of working stiffs making minimum wage & in one of those awful jobs that monitor/regulate their hours, are probably wishing to work today, if only to get in the hours they must have to survive.
Very sad situation.
shelley
Hell, if they can force people to come in at 8 pm onThanksgiving night…
Paul in KY
@Amir Khalid: They should. They should get double-time. However Labor Day over here in the capitalist paradise is not a ‘holiday’ like July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year. Those holidays, you have a much better chance of getting the double time.
Tommy
@shelley: Amen. I can plan ahead a day or so where a store can close for a day.
sharl
@Amir Khalid: I was about to mention this in the previous thread. I don’t remember where I first read that Labor Day was backed by the US government in order to steer working folks away from May 1 (aka “May Day”), but this sounds right:
srv
I resent having to take this liberal holiday.
Cervantes
What do your three exceptions have in common? Care to elaborate? (Thanks.)
KG
@Cervantes: they’re places to get booze
trollhattan
And now we know the REAL reason for the Ukraine crisis and sanctions against Russia: preventing Patriots(tm) from acquiring beloved Gunz!
You got that? They’re “investments,” see.
Labor Day or no, the LGM Snark Patrol is on the job.
Cervantes
@srv: Do you resent the existence of liberal week-ends? How about the liberal eight-hour day? Is it unfair that liberals won’t let you send your kids off to the coal-mines for a pittance a day? Do these things just tick you off?
MaryJane
I’ll play devil’s advocate here. Labor Day wasn’t created to give every worker the first Monday in September off, but as a “national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country”. (U.S. Dept. of Labor)
My job requires me to work Tues-Sat. so Sunday and Monday are my usual days off. I’m lucky to have a great employer and don’t feel deprived by missing out on the federal holidays that fall on Monday. But to your point, forcing employees to come in on holidays in addition to their regular shifts is shitty and unfortunately, the way America works nowdays.
Cervantes
@KG: OK, so the thing about flat-screen TVs was a red herring?
Barbara
This morning I got a phone call reminding me of a doctor’s appointment first thing tomorrow morning. The first words out of my mouth were, “They’re making you work today, that’s disgusting!” Really, they couldn’t have called on Friday?
Davis X. Machina
Charles Pierce, though he can, and does, run to the perfervid, hits it out of the park…
Cervantes
@Davis X. Machina: I was happy to see him mention the CCC.
srv
@Cervantes: government getting in my way and limiting my productivity. Plus, this country started going downhill once kids weren’t considered property. They’ve had the whole summer off, another gimme holiday just ingrains laziness and sloth.
Davis X. Machina
@Cervantes: There’s a very lively memory of the CCC up here on the fringes of the North Country, especially around White Mountain National Forest.
You couldn’t do it today….
Half the country would say ‘It costs too much!’ and the other half would say ‘But they drink and gamble with that money!’ (They were mostly young men, and not from proper backgrounds. That’s what the few CCC veterans remember – their eyes light up).
In other words, nothing’s changed. Because that’s what they said then.
Nicole
There was a scandal here in NYC when it was discovered that an ass’t principal was changing his son’s grades to passing ones, but some of the comments on the article were about what a dumb name the high school has- Bread and Roses.
Mother Jones wept.
brantl
@Amir Khalid: Usually, unless they don’t have 40 hours in. Which, I suppose, many of them don’t.
Cervantes
@srv:
Tell me more about your productivity. I bet it’s a fascinating topic!
Mandalay
Eric Cantor’s Labor Day tweet from two years ago:
How’s that high-political-office thingy working out for ya now, fuckface?
Mandalay
Eric Cantor’s Labor Day tweet from two years ago:
How’s that high-political-office thingy working out for ya now, fuckface?
Howard Beale IV
Now this is someone who hit it out of the park.
Ultraviolet Thunder
This year I worked new year’s eve and day, Memorial day and my birthday, but I have today off.
I actually wish I was off working. Work is interesting and sitting at home trying to keep myself busy is a drag. I guess I can see if the lawn is dry enough to mow, and if it’s not, trim some tree limbs.
Paul in KY
@brantl: Good point about OT kicking in only after 40 hours.
Cervantes
@Davis X. Machina:
Here is something:
Cervantes
@Howard Beale IV: Yes, it’s easy to see why he’s a hero to so many.
PhoenixRising
@Davis X. Machina: Oh yeah. I was hiking with my kid & her cousin last month at one of our great national parks, a wilderness location that was enhanced for our enjoyment by the CCC. My niece asked how the retaining walls were built, and I used the opportunity to educate the girls about this tangible result of New Deal investment in unemployed youth and public works.
The FOX-swilling cranky white dude with his grandsons wanted to argue about it. I shit you not, there are leading-edge Boomers in this great nation who think the CCC, WPA and SSI were mistaken adventures in socializzm, and that public works are for commies. This despite having driven at least 900 miles on an interstate highway to get to the trail.
Davis X. Machina
Planting seedlings in the summer
Or pulling saws that sing
Of log-wall-white-pine castles
In parks fit for a king
Work for the people, by the people
A working man’s army
In the hands of the veterans of the CCC!
Hard to imangine that today, not in a country where half the people in it, and one of its two major parties, doesn’t believe the word ‘public’ refers to an actual thing.
Atomistic individualism will be the death of this republic, the very name of which comes, after all, from the Latin, rēs publica — it is very much ‘the public thing’.
And cynicism will kill a republic as dead as any tyrrany.
big ole hound
@Amir Khalid: There is no overtime for any holidays anymore. Only large national stores and food places are open in my area.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
BBC staff votes to strike over job losses.
Cheers,
Scott.
Citizen_X
@Mandalay: Ah haha hahaha hah!
raven
Trash and recycling was on a regular schedule today.
Also, too I never get veterans day off.
Davis X. Machina
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: For the 99% of the world who don’t live in the UK, the BBC is Britain. BBC and NHS. Without that, it’s just a bigger Belgium, without the chocolate, and worse beer. (Cadbury’s offshored.…after being bought by Kraft.)
The Tories’ favorite dish seems to be eating the nation’s seed corn, with larks’ toungs in aspic.
Citizen_X
@PhoenixRising: So what is that moocher doing out there, enjoying the fruits of the dreaded soshulizm if he hates it so much? Get lost, taker! Let the rest of us appreciate cool things our country has done.
Cervantes
@Davis X. Machina:
Difficult to imagine but there have been some attempts. The non-profit Teach for America is now 25 years old. On the government side, AmeriCorps was created in 1993 by Clinton and company, and still exists — no thanks to the Republicans. There are other examples, none exactly like the old CCC but all good attempts to unite us in uncommon work for a common purpose.
Villago Delenda Est
We really need to seriously consider tumbrel rides for CEOs.
Cervantes
@Villago Delenda Est: You haven’t already?
Davis X. Machina
@Cervantes: Sorry. Teach for America wants to destroy my profession via glorified internships.
Cervantes
@Davis X. Machina: I doubt you’re right about their motivation! Maybe you should elaborate.
big ole hound
@srv: I knew you were grouchy so be happy and come over and work in my yard today. I’ll pay you minimum wage and bust your ass for 8 hours with a half hour lunch (unpaid) and two 10 min. breaks (unpaid) so plan on being here 9 hours, supply your own tools, transportation, food, water. All nice and legal. You will be in the sun digging up an old sewer line by hand. Enjoy
srv
@Cervantes: In a general sense, many of your worlds tomorrow will suck more because a problem that could be solved today will not be worked until tomorrow.
And you’ll blame people like me because your generation felt entitled to slack. I’m not opposed to holidays, but you should have to win a war or something to qualify.
Paul in KY
@Cervantes: He has. VDE is talking about us non-VDE entities.
raven
@srv: What about a tie?
Hungry Joe
Walmart and Target are open today.
Costco is closed. I love that place.
srv
@big ole hound: you could teach these slackers a thing or two I’m sure. I already volunteered to help an 80 something friend with his yard, but he’s the kind of guy who would rather do the work himself than depend on others. He could teach you a thing or two.
Amir Khalid
@Davis X. Machina:
For me, Britain is Liverpool Football Club, Harry Potter, and the Beatles. And Susan Boyle.
trollhattan
We have a late entry in the race for California’s governor–Joe King.
Some may know him as this guy.
srv
@raven: I’ll give you a win, as of course the libs lost it.
Me, I had to work on my currency today, so I was looking down on y’all, literally and figuratively.
srv
@trollhattan: kinda looks like Joe King Currasco
Cervantes
@srv: The complaining is nicely sonorous but here I was actually waiting to hear more about … what did you call it? … your “productivity”? Too late to tell me about it now, I’m off for the day.
@big ole hound: And instead of your (liberally) coddling him with an insurance policy, I trust he’ll be happy to sign a waiver you can brandish when he gets injured.
Davis X. Machina
@Cervantes: Go look at the number of charter principals who’ve come up through the TFA ranks. It’s the fast track to private-sector glory.
I’m not adverse to non-traditional and lateral entry. I’ve worked with colleagues who were cabin attendants and chiropractors before they jumped over the desk. But they’ve been thoroughly vetted. I don’t think we’ve ever non-tendered an ETEP graduate after their two probationary years.
Motivation all by itself isn’t enough…
hilts
The only song that matters on Labor Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BIvqbyku5g
big ole hound
@srv:Nope. I’m 74, so your generation of slackers and belly gazers being able to teach me something about how to earn a days pay and support my family is never gonna happen. Go help your friend and drive him crazy for the day. Don’t forget your gun, just in case a slacker shows up to rob you.
Cervantes
@Davis X. Machina:
I’ve noticed that, and some of them are remarkably young — but these things are not problems in themselves, are they? I mean, I know that Michelle Rhee, say, was gifted to us by TFA — but can’t I disagree with her on her own merits or lack thereof, never mind her TFA experience?
Presumably I’m being naive — feel free to clarify.
Maybe — but would you rather not have these young people involved even for the two-year commitment?
Davis X. Machina
@Cervantes: Probably, on balance, yes. But only on balance, and only probably. I’ve met a couple too many TFA bods via my daughter (recent Seven Sisters grad) to have unbounded confidence in the institution.
Debbie
@shelley:
You’d at least think O’Reilly would start a war on this…
srv
Can’t imagine what set that guy off.
donnah
My middle son found work with the NCCC, AmeriCorps organization when he was twenty years old and at a loss for work. He spent two years doing a variety of community service projects, from mucking out flooded homes in Iowa to hand-pulling invasive weeds in South Dakota to rebuilding a boys camp outside of Detroit. He grew up and filled out in that time; he was physically and emotionally stronger than he had ever been. And his confidence and self esteem skyrocketed.
In the past three years, he’s worked for Habitat for Humanity. He loves working with his hands, and he likes how the program is set up to help people who need a chance, just like he did.
Good programs exist, and they are helping people.
Cervantes
@Davis X. Machina:
Well, sure.
You should have seen some of the things people said about the CCC back in the day.
Congratulations on the daughter’s recent graduation. How is she enjoying Labor Day now that she’s done with college?
Barbara
@Cervantes: Ah, Teacher For A while. It sure sounds like a good idea, a sort of domestic Peace Corps for the schools which need the most help.
But it’s not. I wish I had a good introductory link to suggest but instead, I’ll just direct you to all the posts at Diane Ravitch’s blog on the topic: http://dianeravitch.net/category/teach-for-america-tfa/ (if that link didn’t work, just go to the botton left-side of her front page and find TFA among the blog topics).
Basically, woefully under-trained young people are sent into the most challenging situations, and if any of them do well, it’s because of all the mentoring and support they get from their co-workers who are PROFESSIONAL veterans.
Most of the TFAers don’t stay in education; in this model, the most needy children have a never-ending revolving door of so-called teachers who have had all of SIX weeks of training. But who cares if the kids suffer? The more public schools look bad, the more the propaganda machine can emphasize that they all need shutting down and privatizing. And the ones who do stay in ed, tend, as DXM points out, to join the ranks of the education deform movement.
Don’t feel bad about falling for the hype about TFA, it is VERY good hype. As Lily Tomlin famously pointed out, it’s hard to keep up with the amount of cynicism needed these days.
RaflW
I do my part on Labor Day by never, ever shopping then. Then again, I tend to avoid shopping on Sundays, with the exception of occasionally popping in for milk or ice cream (equally essential in my home).
Other than that, it’s the NY Times in physical form, maybe church, and relaxing on Sundays & Labor Day.
I wish more businesses would be closed on Sundays actually. I know it can make things harder for people who have oddly timed jobs, swing shifts, travel for work, etc, but do we really need to be able to buy absolutely everything except booze and cars on Sunday? (In MN, those are the two generally closed businesses on the FSM’s day).
srv
@donnah:
Thesca.org
They do good work, worked with them on the PCT. If anyone has donate deductions, they’re the closest non-profit to the ole CCC
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
Barbers usually don’t get paid by the hour. Instead they rent their space by the hour. So there’s no point in them being there without customers. Have no idea how those shitty chains work.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@RaflW: I’ve worked Saturday nights for years for the convenience of y’all with normal hours and Sundays SUCK. You basically lose your day off. You can’t get any shopping done because everything is closing by the time you wake up from your weekend restorative sleep, unless you fancy shopping at fucking walmart. And you usually can’t go out either because all of the restaurants and watering holes close early. Plus if you do go out they’re out of everything because their last delivery was Friday and Friday and Saturday night cleaned them out of all the good stuff. So after being depressed on Sunday you try to cheer yourself up to get everything done on Monday. Meh.
I used to love working on Sundays. The days were shorter and I got paid extra. It would have sucked I think without being paid extra, though. When I worked retail the sunday rush was crazy but the customers were better than weekdays except for the dillweeds who would try to get in after we were closed.
srv
@efgoldman: you old people are always angry about something
rikyrah
@Davis X. Machina:
Count me among those who are not and have never been on the Teach for America bandwagon
Villago Delenda Est
@trollhattan: “I challenge both of my opponents to a hair contest”
Good thing Joe isn’t living in Texas!
jon
It might be the mall owners who require that the renters of Space be open at certain times and days. A friend of mine who managed a store once had to do the Thanksgiving Day midnight nonsense because the store would lose its lease if it didn’t open for that special time.
She opened for one hour.
Cervantes
@Barbara:
On Labor Day, thank you for your work with all our kids.
Yes, I agree.
Thanks — and at her blog, I found, among other things, the following:
So TFA is definitely not all good. Sounds like I should learn more about how to evaluate it.
Well, I do.
Does the evidence suggest clearly that the net effect on TFA kids is that they “suffer”? Both Ravitch’s site (you mentioned it) and the Reuters article (that Davis X. Machina mentioned) imply that good and bad things are happening in the name of TFA. I will seek better data and a solid evaluation argument, and meanwhile suspend judgment.
Not to worry, my feelings are hardly the issue.
Cervantes
@rikyrah:
Wait — they have a bandwagon?
Sounds neat — I may have to unsuspend judgment!
Sterling
Billionaire Ken Langone, the founder of Home Depot issued a warning to Pope Francis during an interview with CNBC which was published this past Monday. In the interview he said that wealthy people such as himself are feeling ostracized by the Pope’s messages in support of the poor, and might stop giving to charity if the Pope continues to make statements criticizing capitalism and income inequality.
I don’t think this guy understands his own religion.
Bitter and Deluded Lurker
@Amir Khalid: I think it’s a North American Anglo thing. We’re celebrating it today in Canada (even in Quebec).
Mexico apparently celebrates it on May 1st, though.
Cervantes
@Sterling:
Oh, he does.
It’s just a mistake to think that his religion has anything to do with Christianity.
Phantom 309
@Villago Delenda Est: “Tumbrel rides for CEOs!” makes a nice T-shirt. Or bumper sticker.
Cervantes
@Amir Khalid:
Find out when Labour Day is celebrated in the various provinces of Australia.
Hal
My one sticking point is that retail workers are paid hourly. If they don’t work labor day they have 8 hours less pay in their checks and having worked retail I can say every dime counts. I’m lucky in that the past few jobs I’ve had pay out days like this whether we are scheduled or not. Also, I get time and a half for working today, so I actually don’t mind working today.
Patrick
@Sterling:
might stop giving to charity if the Pope continues to make statements criticizing capitalism and income inequality.
So he actually wants the Pope to make statements supporting income inequality…WWJD
trollhattan
@Sterling:
Just wow. They all
secretlyopenly want to be Montgomery Burns."Smithers, release the hounds!"
Kay Eye
Costco closes for Labor Day. Can’t pick up my prescription till tomorrow, but hurray for them.
Barbara
@Cervantes: “Teacher/Teach For A while” is the sarcastic take-off on TFA — because that is what the participants do, in contrast to the people who dedicate their working lives to the profession (and I am not one of them, just an admirer).
I don’t doubt that there are occasional TFA successes, and I don’t doubt that most of the temps come away changed, one way or another.
What is more important though, is which side of the school deform movement the program comes down on, and it is pretty clear it is NOT on the side of preserving and strengthening public education as an irreplaceable institution.
Again, there was nothing stopping these upper-class ivy-leaguers from majoring in education in the first place.
brantl
@srv: Eat me, arsewipe.
Cervantes
@Barbara:
Yes, I saw your sarcasm. I think you missed the sarcasm in my response … but never mind.
I agree that any successes need to be seen in the larger context, whatever that may be — and as I said, I will keep an eye out for good data.
You certainly seem to have the buzz-words down but re the following:
From the aforementioned Reuters article:
And this I found on Diane Ravitch’s web-site (which you cited):