As we celebrate Labor Day, we must first thank God we have a job, because many people in this world do not. I often hear people complain about having a lot of work, but it’s better to have too much work than none at all.
Although we work under pressure and our bosses frequently correct us in order to make our tasks better to reach common goals such as improving efficiency, these efforts often become rewarded in forms of bonus or higher wages to the staff, and other incentives to motivate employers.
Work dignifies us. It brings food to our families and peace and financial stability to our homes.
As my parents told me when I was a kid (and I say the same to my children): All work is decent, the only thing unworthy is not working. No matter how humble or simple our job may be, it is worthy of admiration and respect. When we work hard and do our best, we are admired by our children and it is the best example we can give to them.
Let’s never complain about our jobs again, and only we complain when we run out of work.
Ignacio Jaramillo Béjar, Hollywood
Reshaping the workforce
President Trump’s administration has pledged to reshape the federal government workforce development strategy.
Success will come not from simply creating jobs, but from ensuring that workers have the skills to thrive in tomorrow’s marketplace.
For example, the construction industry faces a historic shortage of 439,000 craft professionals.
Registered apprenticeships remain the most effective earn-while-you-learn model, providing the participants with skills, experience, and in Florida the opportunity to graduate debt-free. But apprenticeships can’t stand alone.
A modern workforce strategy must also embrace craft training, rapid upskilling and targeted project instruction. These pathways don’t create jobs; they prepare workers to step into careers that are already waiting.
The ABC Institute, Florida’s largest apprenticeship college, leads this effort with nearly 1,000 apprentices enrolled statewide. Its scalable flexible models show how workforce gaps can be closed while expanding opportunity.
Real workforce transformation requires flexibility, federal recognition across states, multiple training options, and a break from one-size-fits-all thinking. As we observe Labor Day, let us remember: True progress comes from investing in skills, not just jobs.
Peter Dyga, Hollywood
The writer is president of the Florida East Coast chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
The Rainbow Resistance
Demonstrators in front of the former Pulse nightclub in Orlando on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. At the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state removed it without informing city officials in advance. (Orlando Sentinel photo)
It is outrageous that our governor’s anger is triggered by rainbows and art in public places.
I am sorry that he’s wasting his time, and Florida’s resources, trying to erase them and the existence of both gay Floridians and childhood dreams.
Three cheers to all of the cities that are resisting!
Holly Rothkopf, Boynton Beach
All about the money
High-rises indeed continue to go up throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Just imagine what that does to the natural environment of those counties, plastering them with concrete and asphalt. So much for their natural environment.
The building of high-rises is all about the money, just as it is with the climate change, global warming and renewable, green energy agendas advocated by members and supporters of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Just ask former Vice-President Albert A. Gore, Jr.!
Erik H. Schot, Ph.D., Lauderdale-By-The-Sea
Editor’s Note: The editing of a previous version of this letter inadvertently altered the writer’s opinion.
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