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Labor Day 2017: The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) Was Once One of the Largest in the US
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. more »
A Scrim of Memory; A Meditation on Reunions
Joan L. Cannon writes: Think about reunion. Nowadays when the fashion is to press children into adult molds earlier and earlier in their lives, I've heard of kindergarten reunions. My own children were invited to eighth grade ones, and it goes on from there. I went to my own 40th high school reunion and my 50th college one. It was that one that made me swear off that kind of gathering. Every attendee has to face unstated competition as intense as that for college acceptance; it's just based on different criteria. How have I aged in appearance compared with my classmates? Can I match the average for marriage, number of children, implied income, social status, renown?
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Climate Change and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: RGGI States Announce Proposed Program Changes; Additional 30% Emissions Cap Decline by 2030
The nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first market-based regulatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, announced consensus on a set of draft program elements that will guide the RGGI states as they conduct final economic analysis and establish a post-2020 path forward for the program. more »
Vehicle Standards Should Be Strengthened to Expand Choice, Save Consumers Money; Charter For Advisory Committee for Sustained National Climate Assessment Expires
"And by expanding the review to include Model Year 2021, EPA is opening the door even further to eroding standards beyond what was previously contemplated. If EPA goes through with its review, they should leave 2021 off the table and they must conduct a fair, transparent assessment that includes the voices of consumers. If progress toward more efficient vehicles is put in reverse, consumers are the ones who will bear the financial burden." more »