Labor Day was founded in 1882 from an idea by Matthew Maguire, who belonged to what is now the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union (IAM). The day that Maguire ushered in is more than a holiday; it’s a reminder of what working people can achieve when we stand together. Every benefit we value today — fair wages, safe workplaces, weekends off, retirement security — was won because workers had the courage to demand more.

That same courage is alive today on the picket lines of St. Louis, where more than 3,200 proud members of IAM District 837 have been on strike since Aug. 4. They are taking a stand for respect and fairness. (“ Boeing, union negotiations on pause until after Labor Day ,” Post-Dispatch, Aug. 27.)

These highly skilled men and women build the F-

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