In his Saturday weekly address, President Obama gave a brief history lesson that sang the praises of organized labor because unions are responsible for giving us such great benefits like a 40-hour work week, minimum wage, overtime and a holiday to celebrate these accomplishments with Labor Day. And the Organizer-in-Chief himself reminded us of his contributions he believes will add to the greatness of the day.

“Before you fire up the barbecue for the long weekend, I want to talk a little bit about the reason we get to celebrate Labor Day – and that’s the labor movement that helped build this country and our middle class,” the president began. “For generations, every time the economy changed, hardworking Americans marched and organized and joined unions to demand not simply a bigger paycheck for themselves, but better conditions and more security for the folks working next to them, too. Their efforts are why we can enjoy things like the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, and a minimum wage. Their efforts are why we can depend on health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement plans.”

“All of that progress is stamped with the union label,” Obama added.

Obama said his administration has embodied that union spirit of “our economy works better when it works for everybody” over the course of his presidency to great success. 

“We’ve rescued our economy from another depression, cut our unemployment rate in half, and unleashed the longest string total job growth on record,” Obama said. “And we’ve focused on making sure that the gains of a growing economy don’t just flow to a few at the top, but to everybody.”

The president cheered how he has cut the income gains of the top one percent in half and added 20 million Americans onto the government dole through Obamacare. For good measure, Obama made mention of the completely discredited talking point that women earn only 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. The solution to that made up problem? Unions, of course:

Do we want a future where inequality rises as union membership keeps falling – or one where wages are rising for everybody and workers have a say in their prospects? 

[I]f we’re going to restore the sense that hard work is rewarded with a fair shot to get ahead, we’re going to have to follow the lead of all those who came before us…

And it means exercising our rights to speak up in the workplace, to join a union, and above all, to vote.

That’s the legacy we celebrate on Labor Day. And I’m confident that that’s the legacy that we’ll build upon in the years ahead.

He left no time to thank capitalism, the free market, American entrepreneurs, innovators, or risk-takers. Just himself and organized labor. Makes you want to celebrate, now, doesn't it?