* What actually is Labor/Labour Day 'all about'?

Peter sez:

In so far as Labor/Labour Day was invented in the USA so as to ignore Mayday (an international/ist labour day meant to honour American labour martyrs), I am not sure that we should be promoting it or even celebrating it.

It has, in any case, been emptied of labour movement content in the USA. I stand to be corrected, but believe it is mostly taken there as a day off. Or possibly, at least this year, an excuse for the AFL-CIO to produce a very expensive video celebrating labour-for-capital-and-state as the height of human achievement and something that unites all working people (except those billions labouring for no wages, outside the wage-contract, in households, etc.

As for the Global Framework Agreement signed between Siemens and IndustriAll, is the behaviour of Siemens really 'beyond belief'? I would have thought it highly predictable, since the GFAs are signed at global social-partnership summits, not down at workplace level. So shouldn't this incident be considered as at least in part an indication of IndustriAll naivety - or of putting collective bargaining ritual ahead of shopfloor struggle?

Now read on...

LabourStart ericlee@labourstart.org via mail116.us2.mcsv.net	Aug 31 (1 day ago)
to me

This coming Monday is Labor Day in the USA (and Labour Day in Canada) -- a perfect opportunity for all of us to remember what our movement is all about. Here's what I mean: Just one month ago, Siemens (a giant transnational corporation) signed a global framework agreement with the newly-formed IndustriALL global union. Immediately after agreeing to respect workers' rights around the globe, they hired union-busters to stop an organizing drive at one of their plants in Maryland. The dishonesty and arrogance of this company is almost beyond belief. IndustriALL has just issued an appeal on behalf of its fifty million affiliated members to support the campaign we launched a few days ago on LabourStart.   If you're a member of unions like the United Auto Workers, the United Steelworkers, the Canadian Auto Workers, Unite the Union, or IG Metall (and many others) -- this is your campaign.  These workers in Maryland are your fellow members of IndustriALL. That campaign is already resulting in thousands of messages of support reaching the workers, who are due to vote in just six days on whether or not they want a union. Let's use this weekend to spread the word and build the campaign. Please forward this email to your friends, family, co-workers and fellow trade unionists. I wish you all a very happy Labor (Labour) Day!