The Saga of Labor Day

As I enjoyed the Labor Day Holiday, I found myself wondering about the genesis of the “end of summer” holiday. Like most Americans, I looked forward to a three-day weekend, parades, cookouts, and other celebrations, but I rarely stopped to think about why we had the holiday. I found that its history is fascinating and not always pretty.

Labor Day’s designation as a national holiday resulted from several years of labor unrest in the late 1800s. At that time, the normal workday for most Americans was 12 hours, and the normal workweek was seven days. Contrary to many laws, children as young as five were forced to labor in mines and other unsafe industries. Wages were a pittance, while industrialists filled their coffers.

The first unofficial Labor Day parade was held when, on September 5, 1882, 10,000 New York City workers took unpaid time to march against these working conditions and low wages. In May 1886, Chicago workers protested, culminating in the bloody and deadly Haymarket Riot. Protesters chanted the slogan, “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.” In 1894, the infamous Pullman strike occurred over wage cuts and the firing of workers’ union representatives. After a number of states enacted days of celebration to acknowledge workers and provide an additional day of rest, in 1894, President Cleveland signed a bill that created and codified Labor Day on a national level.

While workers have far more protections these days thanks to a myriad of federal and state laws, we still celebrate the day that acknowledges our efforts. Due to the determination of those who came before us, we have the luxury of celebrating instead of marching. Let’s not forget those whose jobs often require them to skip the long holiday weekend – retail employees (did you happen upon a good sale?), doctors and nurses, police and fire, and numerous others who keep us safe and our economy moving.