Well, it’s the first Monday of September and that means it is Labor Day here in the United States.
We can’t forget the iconic Rosie the Riveter and all the people who worked hard during WWII and everyday.
Before Labor Day, Unions started to come about in the late 1800s.
And still continue to fight this day…
Ten Interesting Facts About Labor Day:
1. The idea first became public in 1882. In September 1882, the unions of New York City decided to have a parade to celebrate their members being in unions, and to show support for all unions. At least 20,000 people were there, and the workers had to give up a day’s pay to attend. There was also a lot of beer involved in the event.
2. The New York parade inspired other unions. Other regions started having parades, and by 1887, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado made Labor Day a state holiday.
3. How did the Haymarket Affair influence Labor Day? On May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a union rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, which led to violence that killed seven police officers and four others. The incident also led to May 1 being celebrated in most nations as Workers Day. The U.S. government chose Labor Day instead to avoid a celebration on May 1 and New York’s unions had already picked the first Monday in September for their holiday.
4. Two people with similar names are credited with that first New York City event. Matthew Maguire, a machinist, and Peter McGuire, a carpenter, have been linked to the 1882 parade. The men were from rival unions; in 2011, Linda Stinson, a former U.S. Department of Labor’s historian, said she didn’t know which man should be credited – partially because people over the years confused them because of their similar-sounding names.
5. Grover Cleveland helped make Labor Day a national holiday. After violence related to the Pullman railroad strike, President Cleveland and lawmakers in Washington wanted a federal holiday to celebrate labor – and not a holiday celebrated on May 1. Cleveland signed an act in 1894 establishing the federal holiday; most states had already passed laws establishing a Labor Day holiday by that point. Sen. James Henderson Kyle of South Dakota introduced S. 730 to make Labor Day a federal legal holiday on the first Monday of September. It was approved on June 28, 1894.
6. The holiday has evolved over the years. In the late 19th century, celebrations focused on parades in urban areas. Now the holiday is a celebration that honors organized labor with fewer parades, and more activities. It also marks the perceived end of the summer season.
7. Can you wear white after Labor Day? This old tradition goes back to the late Victorian era, where it was a fashion faux pas to wear any white clothing after the summer officially ended on Labor Day. The tradition isn’t really followed anymore. EmilyPost.com explains the logic behind the fashion trend – white indicated you were still in vacation mode at your summer cottage.
8. Labor Day is the unofficial end of Hot Dog season. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat 7 billion hot dogs.
9. How many people are union members today? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 14.8 million union members in the workforce in 2017. There were 17.7 million in 1983.
10. What is the biggest union today? The National Education Association has about 3 million people who are members, including inactive and lifetime members.
Source: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-labor-day-holiday
September 6, 1936: Fireside Chat 8: On Farmers and Laborers
Labor Day in this country has never been a class holiday. It has always been a national holiday. It has never had more significance as a national holiday than it has now. … But our workers with hand and brain deserve more than respect for their labor. They deserve practical protection in the opportunity to use their labor at a return adequate to support them at a decent and constantly rising standard of living, and to accumulate a margin of security against the inevitable vicissitudes of life.
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Statement by the President: Labor Day, 1962
We are a blessed land. More American citizens are working than at any time in our history, earning more and producing the highest volume of goods and services on record. They enjoy economic and social protections and rights undreamed of in earlier times–and flatly denied in contemporary communist societies. Our labor organizations are free and strong, with a solid tradition of achievement.
-John F. Kennedy
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-the-president-labor-day-1962
Message on the Observance of Labor Day
Each Labor Day, we pause as a Nation to honor some of the greatest heroes of the American story. On this 94th Labor Day, I ask all Americans to join me in offering heartfelt thanks and praise to working men and women.
August 31, 1988
We salute working people because they have built our land with skill, energy, and resourcefulness, transforming raw materials into a shining edifice of freedom and prosperity. On Labor Day we recognize these achievements and reflect on the meaning and dignity of work and on the values it protects and strengthens — the values we as a Nation hold most dear. In both peacetime and time of war, American workers have always offered each other and the world their very best, affirming their liberty as individuals and as members of a team and promoting the ideals of free enterprise and democracy here and around the globe.
America’s workers continue to display the spirit, ingenuity, and adaptability to new conditions that labor and employers alike need if our economy is to continue to grow. This willingness to meet every challenge speaks volumes about the health and vitality of our way of life. Let us always remember that so much of what we are, we owe to working men and women. God gave us this land, but, under His good graces, the labor of our people has helped it flourish and pour forth its plenty for ourselves and the world. For all these reasons, America celebrates Labor Day, 1988 with fresh gratitude and pride.
Ronald Reagan
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/message-observance-labor-day-1
Remarks on Labor Day in Richfield, Ohio
I want you to know that I know the strength of the American economy comes from hard-working men and women. This country prospers because of people who give their best effort every day to support their families, to go to work, to make America a better place.
-George W. Bush
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