Labor Day

New York Fashion Week is over, but the work is just getting started at the nation's big chain retailers. DailyFinance asked fashion and trend directors at Macy's, J.C. Penney and Banana Republic what we'll be seeing this spring.

The smart money has been predicting lately that gas prices would fall. Oil has been below $90 a barrel since early August and the International Energy Agency has cut its estimates for crude oil use for the year. But the price of a gallon of unleaded is the virtually the same as it was a year ago.

With the ink barely dry on their marriage certificates, and piles of thank-you notes yet to be written, many brides are wasting no time getting their summer wedding dresses on the block for fall gown-buying season, hoping to cash out on their investment and eliminate a storage issue in one fell swoop.

As you hit the road for your final road trip of the summer, consider driving to one of the 10 states with the lowest prices on gas. Turns out, those sunny states also offer bountiful vacation options for the budget-conscious family.

Labor Day has gained a multitude of meanings over the years, but for people who love to grill, it's a warning that the days of lighthearted cookouts are dwindling. So why waste it on the same old fare? For less money (and just a little more time) you can build the kind of cookout memories that will keep you warm through the long, cold winter.

While Nordstrom has yet to find a suitable location in New York City, online shoppers can now get any item delivered for free. On Monday, Nordstrom announced it will offer free shipping and returns for all U.S. orders -- making it the first department store chain to do so.

Even before Hurricane Irene interrupted back-to-school shopping, the nation was cautious about spending for the new semester. A teetering economy is affecting the purchasing choices of 75% of families with school-age children, and 70% say they plan to spend the same or less as last year.

Just in time for Labor Day, domestic workers in New York state got a gift of sorts -- a workers' bill of rights, which Gov. David Paterson signed into law last week. The measure guarantees nannies, housekeepers and care providers to the elderly are paid overtime, get time off and are protected against sexual harassment.

Labor Day signals the end of summer and the start of the school year, but it's also is a moment to consider America's workers and the long -- and continuing -- struggle for employee rights. Our photo gallery provides a look at images of workers, past and present.

Labor Day isn't just about rounding out the summer season with a nice three-day weekend, of course. It's a "national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country", notes the Labor Department, and has been a national holiday for over 100 years. In that vein, here's a roundup of recent labor-oriented legal news: