Editorial: A meaningful Labor Day

Monday, Sept. 3, 2007 | 12:57 p.m.

Samuel Gompers, a founder and the first president of the American Federation of Labor, once noted that Labor Day is unique among American holidays.

Unlike holidays remembering presidents or memorializing the country's history, Labor Day, Gompers said, "is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation."

Labor Day started more than a century ago as a celebration of the everyday American worker, but as America grew more prosperous, it became just a long weekend to finish back-to-school shopping or make one last summer getaway.

This year as we celebrate Labor Day here in Las Vegas, there is much to be thankful for. The economy is strong and recently the two major gaming corporations on the Strip reached agreement with the Culinary Union. Indeed, while unions struggle elsewhere in the nation, they are robust here.

Nonetheless, not all of the news is good. The incredible prosperity this country has enjoyed during the recent economic expansion has not exactly trickled down to the average worker.

The Census Bureau reported last week that the median American household income in 2006 was just over $48,201, about $1,000 less than it was in 2000. Average wages continued to decline for the third consecutive year, according to the Census Bureau, and more workers appear to be sacrificing health insurance because of cost. There were more than 22 million full-time workers last year who did not have health insurance. Insurance premiums rose at more than twice the rate of inflation.

With the economy suffering from the credit crunch and the housing downturn, the economic outlook isn't pretty in much of the nation. The White House's economic policy consists of tax breaks for the rich, so it is up to the Democratic-controlled Congress to find sound policy that can help all share in the country's prosperity.

That would be a good way to honor the average worker, who often can no longer afford the American dream.