Yesterday, we celebrated Labor Day - the unofficial end of summer and a day dedicated to honoring the contributions of workers and the labor movement in the United States. But how did this day, now synonymous with picnics and parades and time off from actual labor, come to be?

The story of Labor Day begins in the late 19th century, during a time when the average American worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week, and working remotely was certainly not an option. Child labor was common, and the working conditions were often hazardous. American industry was going strong, and workers started to demand better conditions, fair wages, and reasonable hours.

There is a bit of discrepancy about who should get credit for the idea of Labor Day. Some sources indicate that Peter McGuire, founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, first had the idea. However, some argue it was Matthew Maguire, a machinist, who proposed the holiday. Regardless of who had the original idea, it caught on quickly.

Back in 1882, Peter McGuire suggested having a parade to honor workers and their contributions to society. Other countries have a similar holiday to honor workers on May 1st (also known as May Day), but in the United States, the first Monday in September was chosen to distance the holiday from the communism-inspired "working man's celebration" on May 1.

On September 5th, about 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City. They carried banners calling for fair treatment and better wages. They celebrated their solidarity with picnics, concerts, and speeches. The idea caught on quickly, and several states began to recognize the day.

One of the pivotal moments of the movement came in May of 1894, when Pullman Palace Car Company employees went on strike against the cutting of their wages and the firing of union representatives. In the winter of 1893, the Pullman Palace Car Company was suffering from plummeting orders and an economic depression. George Pullman was forced to lay off more than half his employees and cut wages by 25 percent. Desperate workers joined the American Railway Union (ARU), an organization created by a young labor leader named Eugene V. Debs.

Within a week, 125,000 railroad employees refused to work on a train carrying a Pullman sleeper car. The strike affected mail delivery, freight and passenger traffic plummeted, and the stockyards came to a standstill. The strike turned violent, and hundreds of rail cars were set on fire and 20 people were killed. Once it ended in September of 1894, the Pullman Strike was the last major strike in the US in the nineteenth century.

In an effort to mend relations with workers, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation sanctioning a Labor Day holiday on June 28, 1894. Some historians think Cleveland signed the bill because he was afraid of losing the support of working-class voters before the 1896 election. Regardless of the intention, Labor Day is now a recognized holiday enjoyed by millions of workers every year.

A little-known fact about Labor Day: it also marks the very unofficial end of hot dog season, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

And for all the strict fashionistas out there, Labor Day has been generally recognized as the last day of the year that you can wear white. The history behind this outdated "rule" is that during the Victorian era, the wealthy would leave the city and head to their country getaways in search of cooler weather. They swapped their heavy formal attire for linen suits and lighter white clothing. After summer was finished, the upper class would return to the city for autumn. They made sure to swap their 'vacation whites' for darker-colored clothing.

Interesting Labor Day stats:

  • Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
  • About 1 out of 2 Americans will travel over Labor Day weekend.
  • Around 150 million Americans will attend a cookout over Labor Day weekend.

Want more? Check out these other Labor Day resources:

 

Carla SmithCarla Smith is a reference librarian who has been with the University of Phoenix Library since 2004. She enjoys the diversity of the reference questions and helping students find the information they need to succeed in their courses.