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Labor Day |
The origins of Labor Day are more than a century old.
Labor Day is observed as a legal holiday on the first Monday in September throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.
The first Labor Day parade in New York City was held in September 1982. It was sponsored by the Central Labor Union of New York and included as many as 25,000 workers from 53 unions carrying banners that read: 8h for work, 8h for rest, 8h for recreation.
In 1894, 12 years later, the federal government made Labor Day (the first Monday in September) a
federal public holiday. This holiday, which is the creation of the labor movement, is dedicated to the
social and economic achievements of the American workers. Two men are credited with playing an important role not only in bringing about the parade but the holiday as well. Matthew Maguire, a machinist from Paterson, N.J., and Peter J. McGuire, a New York City carpenter who helped found the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, are said to have suggested a holiday to honor working people in the United States. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday, and in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday. |
 Author: Lawrence
Date: 8/6/2006 |
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