Laboring on Labor Day

While many Merced-area residents were using Labor Day to barbecue or hit the lake, others were part of a growing national trend to toil at the workplace on the day set aside to celebrate workers.

Mario Sanchez, 48, of Winton, spent his Labor Day dozens of feet in the air upgrading the facade of a building on the southeast corner of Olive Avenue and M Street. When he wasn’t prying boards from the roof, he was clearing debris at ground level.

“We have a lot of people in the office, so we’re working hard to get this done fast,” he said in Spanish. “I know that everybody is off, but I have to work.”

Sanchez was one of a crew of five giving the building a face-lift, according to owner Shemoil Moradzadeh. The roughly $300,000 in construction is readying the building for a new tenant, Stanton Optical.

Working on Labor Day, not to mention any holiday, is a significant trend nationwide. About 41 percent of employers required at least some employees to report to work on Labor Day, according to a survey by Bloomberg BNA, a financial information and news source.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

It may be a “yearly national tribute” to workers, as the department puts it, but it also offers workers a chance to cash in. Bruce Ochoa was working Monday at a bustling checkout stand in Save Mart Supermarkets on Olive Avenue.

“I like the holiday pay,” the 55-year-old said.

Many employers pay workers a premium rate, even double, for their work on Labor Day.

Ochoa said he gets his fair share of time off with five weeks of vacation. He uses them all, unlike the 41 percent of Americans who did not use a single day of earned vacation in 2015, according to a survey from Skift, a website that studies global travel trends.

With 33 years at Save Mart, Ochoa said, he’s worked many holidays. Labor Day and the days preceding it are busy at the store as people prepare to leave town or entertain guests, he said.

But, Labor Day wouldn’t be a total wash for Ochoa because he planned to be headed to a family barbecue by the pool after his shift ended.

“I just go put a plate together,” he said, “and enjoy the rest of my day.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2016 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Laboring on Labor Day."