True Meaning Of Labor Day Isn’t A Day Off With Pay

The real meaning of the Labor Day holiday often gets lost amid summer travel plans, according to the president of the local Teamsters Union.

While many plan their last summer getaway or a long weekend at home, the first Monday in September was designed to celebrate much more, said Scott Armstrong, president of the Teamster’s Local 549 near Kingsport.

“Too many people take it for granted. To them, it’s just another holiday, and they don’t think about what it really represents,” Armstrong said.

Established in New York in 1882, Labor Day was dedicated to the “social and economic achievements” of American workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country,” according to the Labor Department’s Web site.

“To me, it’s a celebration of the hard work and dedication of our American workers to make our companies better,” Armstrong said.

Truckers traveling this Labor Day will be sharing the roads with vacationers, but the AAA predicts fewer folks will be traveling.

The last long weekend of summer is still expected to rank among the busiest on U.S. roadways. About 34.3 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home this weekend, compared to 34.7 million last year, according to AAA Mid Atlantic. About 28.6 million of them will travel by car.

“While we’re seeing a drop in travel, it is a small improvement over the Fourth of July holiday, when we saw a drop of 3 percent in the commonwealth,” said Martha Meade, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

More than 800,000 Virginians and 525,000 Tennesseeans are expected to hit the highways this weekend, which formally begins at 6 tonight.

In response to greater traffic volume, local law enforcement officials plan additional patrols, sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints and other measures to promote safety, said Mike Browning, public information officer for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

“We’ll have saturation patrols and increased visibility, all in an effort to increase public awareness,” Browning said Thursday.

Traffic fatalities across Tennessee have declined by 169 this year when compared to 2007, and officials continue to repeat drumbeat messages about drinking and driving.

“The message does get through,” Browning said. “Not in every case, but especially when someone they know is injured or killed. And especially if people understand they can be arrested and jailed on a first offense DUI, and possibly lose their job just for making one mistake.”

Last year, 17 people died in vehicle crashes on Tennessee roadways while a record 22 died in Virginia during the long Labor Day weekend.

This is traditionally one of the worst weekends for crashes involving motorists who are driving drunk, Virginia State Police officials said.

Increased patrols will be visible on both interstate and secondary roads, said VSP Sgt. Michael Conroy.

“So many times, you arrest someone for DUI and there is a sober driver in the car,” Conroy said. “It’s disheartening that somebody didn’t care enough to speak up.”

During all of 2007, the number of fatalities related to drunken driving decreased slightly in 32 states, including Tennessee, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

About 13,000 people nationwide were killed in crashes in which the driver had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher – a 3.7 percent decline from 2006.

Virginia reported a 13 percent overall increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities last year, while Tennessee experienced a 4.7 percent decline.

Motorists can expect some “slowed or delayed” traffic in Wythe County, where Interstate 77 overlaps Interstate 81, said Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Earl.

“No lane closures are expected on the interstate and there will be no short-term lane closures from noon [today] until noon Tuesday,” Earl said.

A long-term project in Tazewell County will impair traffic on U.S. Highways 19 and 460, Earl said.

Drivers planning to travel south on Interstate 77 should be aware of possible delays in the Hillsville area because of construction work on U.S. Highway 58 and large crowds at the annual Hillsville flea market, Conroy said.

There will be no interstate lane closures during the holiday weekend in Tennessee, but workers will be present in some construction zones, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation news release.

Gas prices, in decline for the past few weeks, increased this week. The national average price for a gallon of self-serve regular was $3.67, or about 40 cents less than July 4. The price is still about 90 cents higher than last year.

According to the AAA’s weekly Fuel Gauge Report, the average price of regular gas this week was $3.43 in Bristol, $3.47 in Johnson City and $3.43 in Kingsport.

By Thursday, however, most gas signboards in the Twin City reflected prices between $3.49 and $3.59 per gallon of regular unleaded.

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