A Few Facts About Labor Day

8/31/2017 (Permalink)

celebrating A Day For the Worker

Today Labor Day, is the first Monday in September, it was a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the economic and social achievements of American workers. It establishes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated in September, caught on in other industrial areas across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it. Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. Many credit Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a machinist and a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday. We didn't know which man should be credited - partially because people over the years confused them because of their similar-sounding names. Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer, the start of the back-to-school season and the wearing of any white clothing after the summer officially ended.

With the celebration there is a risk fire please take the proper precautions while using fireworks or barbequing.

Hope you have a great Labor Day.

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