The Labor Day holiday was designed to celebrate the working person. In May, there were 155.1 million people age 16 and older in the nation's work force. Of those workers, 7.7 million hold down more than one job and make up 5 percent of the working population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau said 288,000 people work two full-time jobs.
The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894 and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.
The bad economy means employers have to work harder to cut costs and make sure workers' time is used efficiently, said Wayne Hose, president of the Local 3373 of AFSCME Council 67, which represents 80 employees at the Hagerstown Police Department.
"Everybody has to pull together now," said Hose, a patrol officer with the local police department.
The police department has implemented or is working on cost-saving measures, such as limiting the amount of time officers have to spend in court, Hose said.
To control overtime, the department is making sure officers getting close to the end of their shifts are not taking calls that would force them to stay on duty into the next shift, Hose said.
Hose said he thinks it will be a year or two before the economy recovers completely.
But, he said, "I think things are starting to turn around."
Perkins said finding solutions to problems such as jobs being shipped out of the country largely is the responsibility of the federal government.
Some companies have shipped their jobs abroad because they want cheap labor in an environment that is not heavily regulated, Perkins said. Until that stops, it's going to be a "race to the bottom" for U.S. workers, Perkins said.
Perkins said the struggling economy and related problems have helped put some issues into perspective.
Unions have come to realize they cannot demand the large wages they once did, Perkins said.
At the same time, he said, companies need to realize that their chief executive officers cannot take home wildly excessive salaries compared to the pay of their workers.
The following Labor Day information was provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. More information can be found at www.census.gov.
The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing a "Labor Day" on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.
By the numbers
155.1 million -- Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in May 2009.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
83% -- Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2007.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007
77% -- Percentage of workers in private industry who receive a paid vacation as one of their employment benefits.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Table 634
7.7 million -- Number of workers who hold down more than one job. So-called moonlighters comprise 5 percent of the working population. Of these, 4 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their other job.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Table 589
288,000 -- Number of moonlighters who work full time at two jobs.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Table 589
10.4 million -- Number of self-employed workers.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Table 585
28% -- Percentage of workers 16 and older who work more than 40 hours a week. Eight percent work 60 or more hours a week.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Table 582
