In this solo live recording, Shally Steckerl greets viewers on September 1, 2023, and uses the occasion of Labor Day to share a brief history of the holiday, noting its origins in the late 1800s, its federal recognition in 1894, and its role in ending the grueling 12‑hour, seven‑day workweeks of the Industrial Revolution. She highlights that the U.S. Department of Labor was created after the holiday and points out that the department’s first cabinet secretary, Francis Perkins, was a woman, making the Labor Department the most female‑led cabinet agency. Shally then describes her personal Labor Day plans—a Sunday barbecue with friends where she will be cooking her signature ribs. Finally, she offers a message of hope to anyone job‑searching, encouraging them to reach out for LinkedIn referrals and emphasizing that the post‑summer period often brings new employment opportunities. She closes with a warm wish for a safe, enjoyable weekend.
Chapters
Hello friends, it is September 1st. That means August has come and gone, uh, in 2023 for those of you that are counting. September 1st is significant because here in the United States we have a holiday that occurs on the first Monday of the month of September, and it's a national holiday called Labor Day. If you live in the United States, you already know about this. But today I don't have any guests because it's, uh, traditionally very much a vacation weekend, a family weekend. So a lot of folks just simply weren't available. So I decided, you know what, I'm just gonna come on here, fly solo for a few minutes, say hi to everybody, wish you a great and safe and restful Labor Day weekend, maybe share a little bit of knowledge with you about Labor Day and explain Labor Day to some folks that may not know what it is. So as I said, the first Monday in September, so that'll be this Monday, is a national holiday, which means this is a long weekend. Folks often take Friday off, so even in some counties, the students are given the day off so that parents can have 4-day weekends with their, with their families. But essentially, it is the end of summer. It's significant, it's it signifies the official end of summer here in the United States. We celebrate with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks. Uh, I myself, I'm having a barbecue with a few friends over, but we're doing it on Sunday so that everyone has time to do their own thing on Monday, which is the actual holiday. And I'm going to be cooking some delicious ribs. If you know me at all, you, you probably have heard of the famous ribs. So that's what's going to happen. I'm going to be cooking all day Saturday and eating all day Sunday. So that's how we celebrate with family and friends. It honors— Labor Day honors the American labor movement. Politics aside, it was a very practical need because it ended— at the time of the Industrial Revolution, it ended the practice of 12-hour days, 7 days a week. People were burning out, overworked. I mean, you know, you worked an entire half a day every day of the week. There was, there was no time for really anything else. It actually— fun fact— Labor Day itself became a holiday in the late 1800s, but in 1894 it became recognized as a federal holiday. So why am I telling you this? Because in 1894, when Labor Day became an official federal holiday, we still didn't have a Labor Department. That's right. Labor Day, the federal holiday, is 20 years, give or take, older than the actual US federal Labor Department. Another fun fact: the Labor Department that gave us Labor Day and the 40-hour work week and minimum wage and all these other things is the first presidential cabinet agency that was led by a woman. Francis Perkins was the first cabinet secretary, the leader of the cabinet for the president at the time. And in fact, this particular cabinet, the Department of Labor, has had the most women cabinet secretaries than any other cabinet. So, um, I guess even progressive back then, right? So anyway, that's all the fun facts that I have for you in this fine day. I would like to send you all a virtual hug and give you a message of hope for those of you that are in the midst of looking for a new gig. You know, typically the end of summer signifies people going back to work, things in the machines starting to work again. So if I could extend to you the hope that I feel in my heart for everyone to be able to find a successful and gainful employment, uh, all of my friends and peers who are currently in between jobs, I think that you'll start to see things turning around in October. Hopefully even in September. So stay tight, reach out to me, you know how to find me. And if you don't, well, you haven't been watching my show for very long, right? So reach out to me if you need any, uh, any recommendations or referrals. My LinkedIn network is yours. And but first and foremost, enjoy the weekend, be safe, have some quality time with your loved ones, friends, family, and be kind to each other. Take care everybody, see you next
