The Histoty of Labor Day
(Source: Department of Labor)
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement
and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It
constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions v^orkers have made to the
strength, prosperity and wellbeing of our country.
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt
^as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J.
McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co
founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor
those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”
But Peter McGuires place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many
believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday
Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the
secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson,
N.J., proposed the hohday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor
Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor
Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday September 5, 1882, in New
York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central La
bor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5,1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday as originally
proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities
to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmens holiday” on that
date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day
was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
Through the years, the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first gov
ernmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and
1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state
bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was
passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year, four more states—Colo
rado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York —created the Labor Day holiday
by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Nebraska, and
Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in
honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the
first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia
and the territories.
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were
outlined in the first proposal of the holiday—a street parade to exhibit to the public
“the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the com
munity, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and
their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day Speeches
by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed
upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday Still later, by a resolution of
the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor
Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational
aspects of the labor movement.
The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years,
especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have
proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of
expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators,
clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and
television.
The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the
greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the real
ization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy It is appropri
ate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of
the nations strength, freedom, and leadership—the American worker.
Carteret Community College
Corporate and Community Education
August/Sept. Schedule - Call 222-6200 for details.
Course start Date End Date
Antiques, Collectibles & Auction 08-22-11 10-19-11
Beginning Bridge 08-18-11 10-06-11
Boat Electrical Systems 08-16-11 12-13-11
Computer Basics for Job Search 08-22-11 08-25-11
Computers for Beginners,Vista 08-16-11 09-08-11
Computers for Beginners,Window 08-22-11 10-03-11
Elections Process/Precinct Cert. 08-25-11 09-29-11
EPA/CFC Cert. Review & Exam 08-15-11 08-17-11
Introduction to Composites 08-16-11 12-07-11
Introduction to Outboards 08-16-11 12-13-11
Marine Diesel 08-15-11 12-05-11
Machine Shop Practices, Intro. 08-30-11 12-13-11
Medical Terminology 09-13-11 12-01-11
Microsoft Office, Intro, to 08-16-11 09-22-11
Microsoft Office Specialist Word 08-22-11 09-26-11
Notary Public 08-22-11 08-24-11
Professional Bookkeeping Cert. 08-16-11 12-22-11
RE Broker Selected Topics 08-15-11 09-19-11
Wastewater Treatment Plant Open09-08-11 12-08-11
www.carteret.edu
m
company
Bring This Ad t or
FREE
DESIGN
SERVICES
*
Pelletier Harbor Shops
4426 Arendell Street
Morehead City
(252)247-3175
mcqueensinteriors.com
August 2011 I The Shoreline 5