As you get ready for a Labor Day weekend full of barbeques and pool parties, here are five facts about the unofficial last day of summer. (Ugh. Typing that made us sad.)
- The first celebrated U.S. Labor Day was on Tuesday September 5, 1882 in NYC. It was planned by the Central Labor Union.
- 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched from City Hall to 42nd street – ending in Wendel’s Elm Park for a concert, picnic, and speeches.
- Labor Day originated in Toronto, Canada in 1872. It began as a demonstration demanding rights for workers.
- Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday in 1887.
- Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the U.S.
- Labor Day recognizes the contributions/achievement of the millions of men and women in the U.S. workforce.
- Americans worked 12-hour days and 7-day weeks (yikes!) in the late 1800s. Kids as young as 5-6 years old worked in factories.
- In 1916 the Adamson Act was passed, which firmly established the 8-hour workday. This was the first federal law regulating hours of workers in private companies.
Get the background on labor rights. GO
