Labor Day

Labor Day Weekend is coming up – and that means the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of football season. And, to most Americans, it means picnics, maybe a last swim and a day of recreation and rest. But the actual holiday sprang from more violent, political events back in the late 1800’s.

While the first Labor Day in the U.S. was informally celebrated in 1882, it wasn’t until 1894 that it became a national holiday – and very quickly too.

That year, the infamous Pullman Strike took place – a labor strike by the unions against the railroads that ended up involved 250,000 workers in 27 different states. President Grover Cleveland wanted the strike over as soon as possible – so he called in the US military, as well as US Marshals, to stop the union demonstrations.

A number of workers died in that action – and the President wanted to make amends with labor quickly – so he pushed through legislation to make Labor Day an official holiday, starting that year, in just six days after the official end of the strike.

The very political holiday became even more political in 1909, when the American Federation of Labor convention decreed that the Sunday before Labor Day should be recognized as “Labor Sunday” and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

While you’re enjoying your long weekend, hopefully without having to actually labor, please take a moment to remember the millions and millions of workers who helped build this country and make it great.