Last week we asked you to check out a Labor Day celebration nearby and thank the people whose work you appreciate by sending an e-card or video. Here’s a snapshot of some of the creative ways people celebrated Labor Day yesterday:

In Louisville, Colo., union members passed out Labor Day thank-you cards to firefighters, transportation workers and even Rocky, the NBA Denver Nuggets mascot, and Bernie the St. Bernard, mascot for the NHL Colorado Avalanche. View pictures on the Colorado AFL-CIO Facebook page.

Those of us who spent Labor Day thanking people for their hard work and reflecting on the contributions of the labor movement got the point of the day all wrong.

Fortunately, Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was on Twitter to set us right.

Promoting policies that strengthen the working and middle class is a major goal of the labor delegates who represent working people at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, N.C., this week.

Speaking at the DNC CarolinaFest on Labor Day in Charlotte, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker said:

We built this country together. Every one of us lends a hand. We do it every day. All work has value. Our work connects us to each other. And together, we are better….All work is honorable. All work has dignity and is worthy of respect. And decent pay. And good benefits. I’m talking about the work of all of us. Not just some of us. Not just the 1%. All of us. Each and every single one of us.

Walking through CarolinaFest in Charlotte, N.C., this past Labor Day, you could buy a funnel cake, ride down a bouncy slide—and hug a union “thug.”

Compliments of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, the Hug A Thug booth featured teachers, firefighters, nurses—just about everyone who’s a union member and/or thug, depending upon your political perspective. The union movement's "hug a union thug" campaign poked fun at conservative attempts to scapegoat union members.

If you haven’t sent a thank you e-card or video to the people whose work you appreciate, Labor Day is the time to do it.

Barbara J. Easterling is president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. She was previously the secretary-treasurer of the Communications Workers of America.  

As we near Labor Day, I want to encourage you to help younger generations better understand why labor unions are so important. Too many people either know very little about unions or only know what politicians and Fox News tell them.

Berry Craig, recording secretary for the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council and a professor of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, is a former daily newspaper and Associated Press columnist and currently a member of AFT Local 1360. Craig sends us this.

Jay Latham never cuts his grass on Labor Day.

The 82-year-old UAW retiree from Benton, Ky., would rather rev up his yellow and green riding mower for Labor Day parades in nearby Paducah. Latham is in the lineup for the 37th annual end-of-summer holiday procession in the largest town in deep western Kentucky.

We're kicking off the Labor Day weekend with a very special "thank you" message from United Way President and CEO Brian Gallagher, to a union member who changed his life. Watch the YouTube video in the post. Gallagher also thanked all the union members and affiliates of the AFL-CIO for their community service efforts across the country. 

Don't forget to send your own video or free e-card to someone whose work you appreciate at www.aflcio.org/ThankYou. 

Mei Cobb, vice president of volunteer & employee engagement at United Way Worldwide, sends us this.

In the United States, we celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September to recognize the economic and social contributions of working men and women. This Labor Day, I’d like to recognize two groups of union members who are volunteering in support of United Way initiatives.

Several new economic reports out in time for Labor Day point to long-term trends that are driving a declining standard of living for America’s middle- and low-income workers. Here’s a quick summary (click on chart to expand).