Labor Day in the United States is a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September.
It is a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and
economic achievements of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions
workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.
Labor Day was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, who organized
the first parade in New York City. After the Haymarket Massacre, which occurred in Chicago
on May 4, 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland feared that commemorating Labor Day on May
1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the affair. Thus, in 1887, it was established
as an official holiday in September to support the Labor Day that the Knights favored.
The equivalent holiday in Canada, Labour Day, is also celebrated on the first Monday of
September. In many other countries, "Labour Day" is synonymous with, or linked with, International
Workers' Day, which occurs on May 1.
History In 1882, Matthew Maguire, a machinist, first
proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the CLU of New York. Others argue that
it was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May
1882, after witnessing the annual labour festival held in Toronto, Canada. Oregon was the first
state to make it a holiday on February 21, 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday
in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.
Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S.
Marshals during the Pullman Strike, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve
rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday; President Grover Cleveland signed
it into law a mere six days after the end of the strike. The September date originally
chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the
past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers'
Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would be associated with the
nascent Communist, Syndicalist and Anarchist movements that, though distinct from one another,
had rallied to commemorate the Haymarket Affair in International Workers' Day. All U.S. states,
the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.
Pattern of celebration The form for the celebration of Labor Day
was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the
public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations", followed
by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations.
Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the
civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation
of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and
dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the Labor movement.
The holiday often marks the return to school, although school starting times now vary.
Retail Sale Day To take advantage of large numbers of potential
customers free to shop, Labor Day has become an important sale weekend for many retailers
in the United States. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the
year, second only to the Christmas season's Black Friday.
Ironically, because of the importance of the sale weekend, some of those who are employed
in the retail sector not only work on Labor Day, but work longer hours. More Americans
work in the retail industry than any other, with retail employment making up 24% of all
jobs in the United States. As of 2012, only 3% of those employed in the retail sector
were members of a labor union. End of summer
Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.
In high society, Labor Day is considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable
to wear white or seersucker. In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning
of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the weekend
of Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor
Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 1983 in Darlington,
South Carolina. At Indianapolis Raceway Park, the National Hot Rod Association hold their
finals to the U.S. Nationals drag race. Labor Day is the middle point between weeks 1 and
2 of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships held in Flushing Meadows, New York.
In the United States, most school districts resume classes around the Labor Day holiday
weekend. Most begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend
of the school calendar. While others return the Tuesday following Labor Day, allowing
families one final get away before the school year begins. Many districts across the Midwest
are opting to begin school after Labor Day. See also
Labor history of the United States Labor unions in the United States
Workers' Memorial Day References
Bibliography Green, James. Death In the Haymarket: A Story
of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America. Anchor.
ISBN 1-4000-3322-5. External links
History of Labor Day, History of Artists and Writers Unions, Rare Labor Related Comic Books