Labor Day: The Fight for a Fair Workplace Then and Now
For many Americans, Labor Day means one last long weekend before summer officially ends! Labor day equals barbecues, a trip to the beach, and a Monday off. But the holiday began with the belief that working people deserved recognition and a say in shaping the conditions of their labor. The first Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on September 5, 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union. Thousands of workers marched through the city in a public demonstration that showed the unity in organized labor. The exact person who first proposed the holiday remains disputed between labor leaders Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire, but its purpose was to celebrate the contributions workers made to the country and to demonstrate what could be accomplished through solidarity. By 1894, Labor Day had become a federal holiday, officially observed on the first Monday of September. The labor movement fought for many things that are now so embedded in American life that it can...