Labor of Love

With all the back to school hustle and bustle that runs rampant in August and the telling signs of fall creeping in signaling the end of summer, people often look forward to the reprieve that Labor Day brings. This three-day weekend ushers in the fall with end-of-the-summer barbecues and picnics. But why do Americans take this day off? Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day — many times these holidays warrant a day off work to celebrate something else. But Labor Day is the one day when people celebrate just having a day off work.

It is still undecided who first suggested this workers’ holiday. It is agreed that it was a McGuire or a Maguire who proposed the idea. Some say Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was the founder of Labor Day. He wanted a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor Web site. It is believed that McGuire led a parade of 10,000 in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site.

Still other recent research supports the fact that Matthew Maguire, a machinist and secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, proposed the holiday in 1882. The one thing people can agree on is that the picnic has always been a part of Labor Day. Because of a McGuire/Maguire suggestion, the Central Labor Union adopted the Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a picnic and demonstration in 1882. On Tuesday, September 5 of that year, the first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City.

Eleven years later, more than half the states were observing the holiday, and the first Monday in September was selected to celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday.” Then, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed a bill to establish it as a federal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed a bill designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

Specific guidelines and activities were outlined in the first proposal for the holiday. A festival for the workers and their families was to be held following a street parade, to show the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor Web site. These traditions still carry on today.

There were speeches by prominent men and women, with emphasis on the economic and civic aspects of the labor force. Then, in 1909, the American Federation of Labor adopted the Sunday before Labor Day as Labor Sunday. This holiday was dedicated to the spiritual and educational facets.

These days, speeches by prominent men and women can be widely broadcast through newspapers, television and radio. The parades are much larger, and picnics range from a small backyard gathering to a citywide festival.

There are 154.5 million people 16 and older who make up the labor force. Those 82.6 million men and 71.9 million women are the people being celebrated on this holiday. The labor force helps build this country’s strength, and so this day is to celebrate its members’ hard work. §

Americans at Work
According to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site

Teachers
7.1 million

Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists
778,000

Chefs and head cooks
345,000

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs
333,000

Firefighters
288,000

Roofers
269,000

Pharmacists
247,000

Musicians, singers and related workers
170,000

Gaming industry (gambling)
111,000

Tax preparers
104,000

Service station attendants
90,000

Logging workers
88,000

7.7 million
Number of workers who hold down more than one job.

5.4 million
The number of people who work at home.