When I was a young pup, I thought Labor Day was code for National Barbeque-Where-Your-Extended-Family-Gets-Drunk-and-Falls-in-the-Pool Day.

But surprise, surprise, Uncle Johnny, it’s not that.

It’s also not National End-of-Summer Day, or even National Back-to-School Day.

And sorry, Moms, it’s not a day honoring you for giving birth (although, I think you all need, like, three weeks off for that one).

It’s Labor Day, a day the Department of Labor defines as “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

I’d like to take today’s post to recognize the contributions our industry’s workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of Broadway and beyond.

Everyone knows we’ve got some pretty powerful unions that provide us with the labor we need to produce and develop shows.  And why shouldn’t they be powerful?  They represent the best the world has to offer in terms of technical and creative theatrical skills.

And while it may be easy to throw stones at the unions for some of our industry’s issues, it’s important to remember why unions were born in the first place . . . to further one of the basic principles our country was founded on:  checks and balances.

So today, when you’re biting into a burger, or when your uncle has one too many Zimas and belly-flops into the deep end, remember that we’re all in this together.

And only together can we ensure that we’ve all got good jobs for many Labor Days to come.