Labor Day – September 5, 2022
off, but this holiday evokes conflicting feelings. There are still 21 days left in the summer, but it's time to take things seriously. There is a sense that summer vacation is coming to an end as school has begun. What is the meaning of Labor Day, and how did it become a federal holiday?
Let's look at it.
When is Labor Day 2022?
The first Monday in September, which is usually Labor Day, happens between September 1 and September 7. In the US and Canada, it falls on September 5 this year. For the majority of nations, who celebrate on May 1st, this is not the case.
History of Labor Day
Are weekends off from work for you? Lunch periods? Paid time off? eight hours in a workday? a social security? You can credit the American labor movement and labor unions if you answered "yes" to any of these inquiries. Many of the most fundamental perks we take advantage of at work today are the consequence of years of bitterly fought fights (and the subsequent legislation they inspired). We take the first Monday in September off to observe Labor Day and honor the sacrifices made by American workers to our nation.
Labor Day History
Labor, the biggest and most significant American labor group at the time, in September 1882. On September 5, the Knights of New York City, with the support of the nascent Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York, organized a public procession involving a number of labor organizations. In order to commemorate this effective public protest, CLU Secretary Matthew Maguire subsequently suggested that Labor Day be observed as a federal holiday on the first Monday of September each year.
According to another story, Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor, suggested having Labor Day in September. A "universal holiday for the laboring people" that would have started with a street parade of organized labor solidarity and ended with a picnic fundraiser for local unions is said to have been McGuire's idea for the CLU in the spring of 1882. The first Monday in September, which comes between July 4th and Thanksgiving, was recommended by McGuire as the best date for Labor Day because of the pleasant weather at that time of year. Oregon became the first state in the union to declare it a public holiday. By the time the federal government proclaimed it a federal holiday in 1894, 29 additional states had joined.
Maguire or McGuire? Read more on this unusual coincidence in our FAQs below.
What is the Haymarket affair?
United States, calling for an eight-hour workday at a period when the majority of American employees put in 18 or even 20 hours each day. Two days later, police in Chicago attacked both those nonviolent demonstrations and a workers' planning meeting, randomly beating and shooting at the latter and killing six people. The following night in Haymarket Square, angry Chicagoans showed up for an initially peaceful protest, but police again charged the crowd. Unknown perpetrator detonated a device that killed a police officer, prompting officers to open fire on protestors and inciting a riot that left roughly a dozen employees and officers dead.
The Pullman strike
catalyzed the establishment of an official Labor Day holiday in the U.S. on the first Monday of September.
The Pullman Company, a builder of opulent railroad cars, built a plant location in Pullman, Chicago, where the strike took place in May. There was no denying the town's inequity. The majority of workers remained in dorms designed like barracks, while business owner George Pullman lived in a mansion. Pullman made the decision to slash costs when a national depression hit in 1893, following the example of many other business leaders at the time. He accomplished this by reducing pay by over 30% while keeping the rent on the dorms he leased to his employees at pre-depression levels.
Railroad boycott
The result of these circumstances was a strike on May 11, 1894. The American Railroad Union (ARU), which represents railroad workers across the country, joined the walkout and announced that its members would no longer operate Pullman cars on trains. The result of the nationwide strike was the shutdown of the railroads west of Chicago and the resignation of 125,000 workers from 29 different railroad firms rather than an end to the strike.
Strikers used a variety of tactics to halt the trains when the Chicago railroad corporations employed strikebreakers as substitutes. The U.S. Attorney General Richard Olney, a former railroad lawyer, was persuaded to intercede by the General Managers Association, which represented local railroad corporations. Olney received a stop-work order from federal courts in Indianapolis, which permitted President Grover Cleveland to dispatch federal troops to break up the walkout.
A few days later, Cleveland understood that he needed to take prompt action to calm the nation's aroused labor movement. However, he didn't want to honor the Haymarket tragedy with a May holiday that might stir up anti-capitalist feeling among workers. In order to honor the original September 1882 holiday, Cleveland changed the date of Labor Day in the United States to the first Monday in September.
Labor Day vs. May Day
Communist and socialist factions worldwide eventually chose May 1 as the date to mark the Haymarket affair. A 1904 conference issued a plea that trade unions stage rallies on the first day of May — demanding to make the eight-hour workday standard. They organized the action in the name of “universal peace.” The 1st of May is a national, public holiday in many countries across the world, generally known as “Labour Day,” “International Workers’ Day,” or a similar name – although some countries celebrate a Labor Day on other dates significant to them, such as Canada, which celebrates Labor Day, like the U.S., on the first Monday of September.
Here’s the U.S. Department of Labor’s official tribute to U.S. workers on Labor Day:
“The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known, and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.”
Who invented Labor Day?
It’s more confusing than you would believe. According to the Labor Department's explanation:
While most sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor, credit Peter McGuire with the origination of Labor Day, recent evidence suggests that the true father of Labor Day may, in fact, be another famous union leader of the 19th century, Matthew Maguire.
Maguire held some political beliefs that were considered fairly radical for the day and also for Samuel Gompers and his American Federation of Labor. Allegedly, Gompers, who co-founded the AFL along with his friend McGuire, did not want Labor Day to become associated with the sort of “radical” politics of Matthew Maguire. So in an 1897 interview, Gompers’ close friend Peter J. McGuire was assigned the credit for the origination of Labor Day.
Related Labor Day Content
1) Top Labor Day quotes for your social feeds
Which president famously said, "My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to
love it"? Can you determine who that is? Consider the well-known American who said, "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity." We've compiled a list of Labor Day quotes so you can learn more about the occasion and wow your pals at the BBQ.
2) Fire yourself from your own job
That’s correct. The makers of STōK cold-brew coffees have designed a
contest —
running through Labor Day — which will give three people
$30,000 each in order to take a four-week “STōKbbattical” (from their
dreary day jobs) and “make their dreams happen.” It can be anything from
rock climbing in Patagonia to setting records for the number of tapas
eaten in Spain. No matter what, STōK will help fund it. Unless of
course, you’d prefer to spend the next four weeks filling out TPS
reports.
3) 8 Labor Day Activities To Enjoy
There are so many different ways to celebrate the occasion, including having a leisurely
barbecue, taking a leisurely swim in the pool, seeing a movie at a drive-in theater, or simply unwinding at home with family. We provide a list of things to do on Labor Day.
Day Traditions
season, much like Memorial Day, which traditionally ushers in the summer. While kids eventually get used to the harsh realities of the "back-to-school" season, holiday bargains, barbecues, and travel usually rule the day. In terms of American sports, Labor Day weekend marks the start of the pennant races in baseball and gives tennis fans an extra day to watch the U.S. Open in New York City, the final Grand Slam event of the year. The NFL's regular season usually starts after Labor Day.
Labor Day by the numbers
162 million – the number of Americans (over 16) in the labor force.
40% – the percentage of U.S. workers who belonged to labor unions in the 1950s (that dropped to 11% by 2018).
1894 – the year Congress officially made Labor Day a federal holiday.
86% – the percentage of Americans planning Labor Day weekend travel who will do so by car.
41% – the percentage of Americans who plan to barbecue over Labor Day Weekend.
818 – the number of U.S. hot dogs eaten every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
$685 – the average kid’s back-to-school expenses.
$55,000 – the median U.S. household income.
705 million – the total number of U.S. unused vacation days (2017).
80% – the percentage of Americans who would take time off if their boss were more supportive.
Labor Day Activities
Read up on the history of Labor Day
Our current working circumstances are directly influenced by the rich history of Labor Day. So during your Labor Day celebration, take some time to talk about the American labor movement and its influence on the way that people work today.
Buy an American-made product
Spend some time reading the labels when you go shopping for Labor Day. To demonstrate your support for American workers, think about purchasing anything marked "Made in the USA."
Watch a movie about labor unions
Labor Day is off for many of us. A movie on the American labor movement is the ideal way to unwind while sprawled out on the couch. There are several films with a union subject to pick from. Do you remember "Norma Rae"? A side note: The entertainment sector heavily relies on unions.
5 Labor Day Facts Everyone Should Know!
It’s on May 1 in other countries
Most countries around the world celebrate Labor Day on May 1, and it is called International Workers’ Day.
Stores remain open
While most schools and offices are closed on Labor Day, retail workers and shopkeepers don’t get the same break, as the holiday is huge for sales and shopping.
Third most popular holiday for outdoor cookouts
Labor Day is right behind the Fourth of July and Memorial Day in being the most popular holiday for barbecues and cookouts.
Labor Day marks the unofficial NFL kickoff
99.4% of the time, the NFL’s first official game of the season is on the Thursday following Labor Day.
Union members today
In 2017, there were 14.8 million union members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while in 1983, there were 17.7 million.
Why We Love Labor Day
We're hard workers — we deserve the day off
According to statistics, Americans put in 137 more hours a year than those in Japan, 260 more than people in the United Kingdom, and 499 more than people in France. And we produce a lot of work—400% more now than we did in 1950. Therefore, we definitely merited the day off.
It's one last chance to grill
Most people agree that Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. It's our last opportunity to grill some steaks and wear shorts before the weather turns chilly and the leaves begin to change color.
It's the reason we can say TGIF
Labor Day is a time to appreciate the perks of our professions, such as the weekends off. The first American employees to take days off was a group of carpenters in Philadelphia who went on strike in 1791 and demanded a shorter workweek (10-hour days, to be exact). Workers didn't start demanding eight-hour workdays until 1836. In light of this, working from 9 to 5 doesn't seem so horrible.
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