Today is Labor Day. It is a holiday that first began with an observation in New York City by the Central Labor Union on September 5, 1882. The idea for the Labor Day observance seems to come from someone with the last name of McGuire: either it was Peter McGuire, who was a general secretary for the Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The other McGuire is Matthew who was secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinist in Paterson, New Jersey, but proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Either way, the Central Labor Union adopted the proposal and organized through a committee for demonstrations and a picnic. The first state bill to be introduced by the legislature was in New York, but the first passage into law was by the state of Oregon on February 21, 1887. Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts followed suit in 1887. By 1894 23 states had adopted the legislation to observe Labor Day on the first Monday of September. Congress passed the national act on June 28, 1894. The first Labor Day observation was set up as follows: a street parade to exhibit to the public the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations of the community followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. Speeches were worked into later Labor Day observations when more emphasis was placed on the economic and civic significance of the holiday. dol.gov/laborday/history.htm
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 12:40:53 +0000
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