It’s Labor Day, a time to recognize the contributions of workers in the broader economy, a key linchpin for bolstering quality of life across the United States.

The holiday also has become the official bookend to summer, a last chance for families to enjoy time together, often on vacation.

But when Congress set the holiday in 1894, national leaders were reacting to a series of strikes and job protests, a time where the hard edge of the industrial revolution was triggering intense questioning from workers about sharing the profits of capitalism.

Orange County witnessed similar questioning in 1936 with hundreds of Mexican citrus workers striking, and many getting arrested, during the historic confrontation between the county sheriff, labor activists and citrus growers.

The weekend. The e

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