The recent announcement that GM Wentzville Assembly has scheduled the Saturday before Memorial Day for production has little or no precedent in recent times. While the contradiction between a company that claims to support the military and Veterans and this action is blatant. For a employer that likes to compare their relationship with employees as similar to that of a family this action says something.
This year marks the 156th anniversary of Memorial Day according to the Military Battle Monuments Commission is a Look Back at this Solemn Ritual.
Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, a former Union officer, can be credited with popularizing this practice. As a commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an influential organization of Union veterans, Logan issued a decree standardizing a tradition already found in a number of places: “The 30th of May, 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in the defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land”. Today, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is America’s annual rite to commemorate our war dead. Across the nation Americans participate in ceremonies to honor the fallen, or reflect upon their sacrifices in a more private setting.
So, if the celebration was on May 30th every year, which is a Thurday this year, why is it celebrated on a Monday every year since 1971? The answer is President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Holiday Bill.. His reasoning…
The bill that we sign today will help Americans to enjoy more fully the country that is their magnificent heritage. It will also aid the work of Government and bring new efficiency to our economy.
This bill provides that three of our national holidays will be celebrated on Monday:
–Washington’s Birthday on the third Monday in February,
–Memorial Day on the last Monday in May,
–Veterans Day on the fourth Monday in October.
The bill will take effect on January 1, 1971. State legislatures will thus have time to act for observances in local government offices and in private employment.
This will mean a great deal to our families and our children. It will enable families who live some distance apart to spend more time together. Americans will be able to travel farther and see more of this beautiful land of ours. They will be able to participate in a wider range of recreational and cultural activities.
This legilslation created the 3-day weekend we now practice. Turns out it was a win for workers and a win for business…
The provisions of this bill insure a minimum of five regularly recurring 3-day weekends each year for Federal employees. The costs will be offset to an important degree by avoiding disruptions of Government business through Monday observance of holidays.
The private employer will enjoy similar gains in efficiency. The Monday holiday will stimulate greater industrial and commercial production, sparing business and labor the penalty of midweek shutdowns.
Not having to shut down during the week and restart only to shutdown for the weekend and start again the following Monday is a win for GM, their equipment, and the workforce. For a company that likes to advertise they are “as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie“. the times sure have changed. So have they.
( Photo via Pixabay)
