Monday is the holiday of, by and for the American working class. It was in 1884 when Labor Day first became a federal holiday in the United States; a special day to honor, appreciate and celebrate the contribution of each worker on whose shoulders the nation rests.
The first incarnation of the holiday included a street parade to exhibit to the public the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This, of course, set the precedent for future Labor Day celebrations, continuing to today.
As your endorsed Democratic candidate for the newly created Ohio House District 88, which consists of all of Sandusky County and most of Seneca County, I am proud of the many endorsements I have received from the labor unions in our area. As we all know, unions paved the way to the middle class for millions of American workers and pioneered benefits such as paid health care and pensions. As a former union president and vice president, I know unions give workers a stronger voice so they get a fair share of the economic growth they help generate. I was saddened to see the front page of the Dayton Daily News last week, which reported "the middle class is receiving less of America's total income, declining to its smallest share in decades as median wages stagnate in the economic doldrums and wealth concentrates at the top."
In other words, the rich are getting richer at our expense.
A large part of the problem is our state legislators; many of them career politicians who are too busy being partisan to do their jobs and focus on bringing prosperity by way of high-paying jobs to our area. No matter what your political affiliation, we should all agree we need those well-paying jobs, and we should all agree Labor Day is our opportunity to honor those workers in our community who continue to find ways to better all of our lives by their dedication and hard work.
I am very pleased Fremont and all of Sandusky County will continue to recognize our laborers with our annual Labor Day parade, and I wish to invite those in our neighboring communities and counties to join us in downtown Fremont at 10 a.m.
I am also honored and humbled to have been asked to serve as grand marshal of this year's parade and would love for you to watch or walk with us in the parade. I am also pleased to announce and invite everyone to a rally and festival at the UAW Hall on Stone Street immediately following the parade. The rally is sponsored by the Sandusky County Democratic Party to honor the social and economic achievements of our community and it is free admission for all.
We hope patriotic citizens will join me at the parade and rally to personally thank those hard-working men and women who make Tiffin and the United States such a great place to live.
Bill Young, Green Springs
