Ann Hernandez gets up at 4:30 a.m. every day to deliver the Los Angeles Times newspaper to Martin Sheen's neighborhood...and he thinks that’s pretty cool. Hernandez works 365 days a year—even Christmas. Check out Sheen’s thank you video and visit www.aflcio.org/ThankYou to upload your own video or send an e-card, thanking someone whose work you appreciate.

The person who’s flipping burgers and making sure there are enough hot dogs to go around at your Labor Day barbecue deserves a little extra thanks, don’t you think? 

Unions and working families will honor the holiday that celebrates the hard work that has made America strong by doing something special this year: recognizing people for their work.

The AFL-CIO is launching a new online application just in time to reclaim Labor Day as a day to recognize people for their hard work. On the new app, at www.aflcio.org/thankyou, participants can send thank-you cards and videos through Facebook and e-mail to friends and others whose work they depend on. 

From San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday to New York City on Sept. 8, working families in hundreds of towns and cities will honor workers and the work they do that connects us all in Labor Day celebrations organized by local unions, central labor councils and state federations.

Here’s a look at a few events from traditional parades and picnics to political actions. Follow the links for information on each event and find a Labor Day event near you.

As we prepare for Sept. 3, we’re encouraging you to thank your family, friends and neighbors for the work they do each day. Workers don’t always receive the appreciation they deserve. From the baristas who brew your coffee in the morning to the letter carrier who drops off your mail, nearly every aspect of our day is affected by people we work with and alongside.

Here are some brand-new Labor Day cards you can print out at home to give to the workers in your life.

Steve Stallone is president of the International Labor Communications Association  (ILCA)  and  secretary/editor of the Pacific Media Workers Guild.

Labor Day in San Francisco would not be complete without a large community picket at UNITEHERE! Local 2’s latest target. Tourism is the city’s biggest industry and the country’s largest hotel chains seemingly can’t resist providing the labor movement with a villain all can despise.

The union movement is in a fight for its life and the other side is determined to take away our right to exist, Vice President Joe Biden told a gathering of working families.

President Obama spent Labor Day in Detroit speaking with working families in an event sponsored by the Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and other top union leaders joined Obama, who asserted his strong support for workers’ freedom to seek a voice at work through a union.

Each Labor Day, the nation takes the time to honor the value of work and all who do it. But in this Labor Day video message, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says we also should remember the millions of jobless workers by joining the fight to put America back to work.

Happy Labor Day! Before you head out for a Labor Day parade, picnic, barbecue or maybe even a political action, head on over to www.aflcio.org/iheart, where you can honor America’s workers and their hard work this Labor Day.

Some good stuff in the Presidential Proclamation on Labor Day issued by President Obama today.

The right to organize and collectively bargain is a fundamental American value. Since its beginnings in our country, organized labor has raised our living standards and built our middle class. It is the reason we have a minimum wage, weekends away from work to rest and spend time with family, and basic protections in our workplaces….The principles upheld by the honorable laborers of generations past and their unions continue to fuel the growth of our economy and a strong middle class.