To most of us it's just another day off, but on Labor Day we should contemplate and commemorate the countless and oft-forgotten people who fought for workers rights, labor laws, and unions. The struggle continues today all over the world, and it's important to become aware of the plight of others, and not to take our gains for granted.

Take some time away from barbeques and yard sales to cheer on Rochester workers in the Labor Day Parade, on Monday, September 6, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The parade will journey down East Avenue to the Liberty Pole, then turn west and march down Main Street, and turn north on Plymouth Avenue and disburse. For more information, call the Rochester Labor Council at 263-2650, and learn about Rochester's labor history at rochesterlabor.org.

This Friday, the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House (900 East Avenue) will bring our focus to labor issues around the world, with its 21st annual Rochester Labor Film Series. The series seeks to "move you with the many different kinds of stories you'll see and hear about injustices suffered by men, women, and children all over the globe," says Eastman House assistant curator of motion pictures Jim Healy in a provided statement. First up is Lars von Trier's office comedy "The Boss of it All," screening Friday, September 3, at 8 p.m.

The series continues every Friday night in September and October at 8 p.m. (the double feature on October 29 begins at 7 p.m.), and includes depictions of China's annual mass migration of factory workers, relations between lonely and well-to-do Canadian women and poor Haitian men, and an early 20th-century Socialist movement among North Dakota farmers. I'm particularly pumped about the late and great Howard Zinn's "The People Speak," which will be shown on September 10. General admission is $7, or $5 for students. For more information, call 271-3361 or visit dryden.eastmanhouse.org.