| Labor Day – US |
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| We often think of Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer, signaling the beginning of the school year and fall sports, the end of festival season, fair seasons, and tourist season. Amid the family picnics, vacations, sporting events, and back-to-school routines, you may be wondering why we have a holiday to remind us of work. Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about the history of Labor Day. The Beginnings Labor Day was officially established on the first Monday of September in both Canada and the USA in 1894, but the labor movement was well underway far before then. The first origins of Labor Day are attributed to a significant demonstration for worker’s rights by the Toronto Trades Assembly in 1872 where they petitioned for the release of 24 imprisoned leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union. At that time, trade unions were still illegal, and the 24 were arrested for striking to campaign for a nine-hour working day. There was wide public support for the parade, and more parades and demonstrations followed. Later that year (1872) laws against trade unions were repealed in Canada. Spring celebrations and demonstrations ensued as the labor movement gained momentum. Parades and Picnics Labor Day has been celebrated with parades and picnics from the very beginning. In the 1880s, local workers and trade unions would have a street parade as a public demonstration of their solidarity and strength, followed by a public picnic with speeches campaigning for worker’s rights. Following a labor convention in New York in September 1882, labor organizations in the U.S. and Canada actively promoted workers’ celebrations, often held in September to take advantage of the perfect weather. First Monday in September Although Worker’s Day is observed internationally on May 1, Canada and the United States celebrate Labor Day in September. Labor strikes were volatile and sometimes violent. In May of 1886, the Haymarket Affair in Chicago was particularly violent with several resulting deaths. As some labor leaders advocated to establish the national holiday in May, government officials were hesitant to establish a national holiday that seemed to commemorate such violent clashes. While spring celebrations took hold around the world, the U.S. and Canada opted to align the holiday with the existing local September celebrations, officially establishing Labor Day in 1894. Today it’s easy to take so many of our rights for granted, Labor Day is a great opportunity to recall how hard-fought the workers’ rights we know today were. |
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