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| Labor Day | |
|---|---|
 Labor Day Parade inNew York'sUnion Square, 1882 | |
| Observed by | United States |
| Type | National |
| Celebrations | Parades,barbecues |
| Date | First Monday in September |
| 2024 date | September 2 (2024-09-02) |
| 2025 date | September 1 (2025-09-01) |
| 2026 date | September 7 (2026-09-07) |
| 2027 date | September 6 (2027-09-06) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Labour Day |
Labor Day is afederal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize theAmerican labor movement and the works and contributions oflaborers to the development and achievements in theUnited States.[1][2][3]
Beginning in the late 19th century, as thetrade union andlabor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by theCentral Labor Union and theKnights of Labor, which organized the first parade inNew York City. In 1887,Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an officialpublic holiday. By the time it became an officialfederal holiday in 1894, thirtystates in the U.S. officially celebrated Labor Day.[4]
Canada's Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 150 other countries celebrateInternational Workers' Day on May 1, the European holiday ofMay Day. May Day was chosen by theSecond International ofsocialist andcommunist parties to commemorate the generallabor strike in the United States and events leading to theHaymarket affair, which occurred inChicago, Illinois, from May 1 – May 4, 1886.[5][6]
Beginning in the late 19th century, as thetrade union andlabor movements grew, diverse groups of trade unionists chose a variety of days on which to celebrate labor. In the United States, a September holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s.
Alternative accounts of the event's origin exist. Descendants of two men with similar last names claim their great-grandfather was the true father of the holiday.[7]
According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of theKnights of Labor convened in New York City in September 1882.[8] In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of theCentral Labor Union (CLU) of New York.[8] Secretary of the CLUMatthew Maguire is credited for first proposing that a national Labor Day holiday subsequently be held on the first Monday of each September in the aftermath of this successful public demonstration.[2][7]
An alternative theory maintains that the idea of Labor Day was the brainchild ofPeter J. McGuire, a vice president of theFederation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, which was a predecessor of theAmerican Federation of Labor. After a visit toToronto where he saw parades celebrating labor that May,[9][10] had put forward the initial proposal in the spring of 1882.[4] According to McGuire, on May 8, 1882, he made a proposition to the fledgling Central Labor Union in New York City that a day be set aside for a "general holiday for the laboring classes".[11] According to McGuire he further recommended that the event should begin with a street parade as a public demonstration of organized labor's solidarity and strength, with the march followed by a picnic, to which participating local unions could sell tickets as a fundraiser.[11] According to McGuire he suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for such a public celebration, owing to optimum weather and the date's place on the calendar, sitting midway between theFourth of July andThanksgiving public holidays.[11]
Labor Day picnics and other public gatherings frequently featured speeches by prominent labor leaders.[12]
In 1909, the American Federation of Labor convention designated the Sunday preceding Labor Day as "Labor Sunday", to be dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.[2] This secondary date failed to gain significant traction in popular culture, although some churches continue to acknowledge it.[13]
The popularity of the event spread across the country. In 1887,Oregon became the first state of the United States to make Labor Day an officialpublic holiday. By 1894, thirtyU.S. states were already officially celebrating Labor Day. In that year, shortly after thePullman Strike, theCongress passed a bill recognizing the first Monday of September as Labor Day and making it an officialfederal holiday. PresidentGrover Cleveland signed the bill into law on June 28.[14][4] The federal law, however, only made it a holiday for federal workers. As late as the 1930s, unions were encouraging workers to strike to make sure they got the day off.[15] All U.S. states, theDistrict of Columbia, and theUnited States territories have subsequently made Labor Day a statutory holiday.[16]
The date of May 1 (an ancient European folk holiday known asMay Day) emerged in 1886 as an alternative holiday for the celebration of labor, later becoming known asInternational Workers' Day. The date had its origins at the 1885 convention of the American Federation of Labor, which passed a resolution calling for adoption of theeight-hour day effective May 1, 1886.[17] While negotiation was envisioned for achievement of the shortened work day, use of the strike to enforce this demand was recognized, with May 1 advocated as a date for coordinated strike action.[17] The proximity of the date to the bloodyHaymarket affair of May 4, 1886, further accentuated May First's radical reputation.[13]
There was disagreement among labor unions at this time about when a holiday celebrating workers should be, with some advocating for continued emphasis of the September march-and-picnic date while others sought the designation of the more politically charged date of May 1. ConservativeDemocratic PresidentGrover Cleveland was one of those concerned that a labor holiday on May 1 would tend to become a commemoration of theHaymarket affair and would strengthensocialist andanarchist movements that backed the May 1 commemoration around the globe.[18] In 1887, he publicly supported the September Labor Day holiday as a less inflammatory alternative,[19] formally adopting the date as a United States federal holiday through a law that he signed in 1894.[2]
Since the mid-1950s, the United States has celebratedLoyalty Day andLaw Day on May 1. Unlike Labor Day, neither are legal public holidays (in that government agencies and most businesses do not shut down to celebrate them) and therefore have remained relatively obscure. Loyalty Day is formally celebrated in a few cities, while somebar associations hold Law Day events to celebrate therule of law.[20][21]
Labor Day is called the "unofficial end of summer"[22] because it marks the end of theU.S. culture's nominal summer season. Of the 7% of Americans who take two-week vacations, many take theirvacations during the two weeks ending Labor Day weekend.[23][24] Many fall activities, such as school and sports (particularlyfootball), begin about this time.
In the United States, many school districts resume classes around the Labor Day holiday weekend (seeFirst day of school). Some begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend of the school calendar, while others return the Tuesday following Labor Day. Many districts across the Midwest are opting to begin school after Labor Day.[25]
In the U.S. state ofVirginia, theamusement park industry has successfully lobbied for legislation requiring most school districts in the state to have their first day of school after Labor Day, in order to give families another weekend to visit amusement parks in the state. The relevant statute has been nicknamed the "Kings Dominion law" after one such park.[26] This law was repealed in 2019.[27]
In the U.S. state ofMinnesota, theState Fair ends on Labor Day. Under state law, public schools normally do not begin until after the holiday. One reason given for this timing was to allow time for schoolchildren to show4-H projects at the Fair.[28]
In U.S. sports, Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of many fall sports.National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams usually play their first games that weekend,[29] and theNational Football League (NFL) traditionally play theirkickoff game the Thursday following Labor Day.[30] TheSouthern 500NASCAR auto race has been held on Labor Day weekend atDarlington Raceway inDarlington, South Carolina from 1950 to 2003 and since 2015.[31] AtIndianapolis Raceway Park, theNational Hot Rod Association hold their finals of theNHRA U.S. Nationals drag race that weekend.[32] Labor Day is the middle point between weeks one and two of theU.S. Open tennis championships, held inFlushing Meadows, New York.[33]
In fashion, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day when it is acceptable to wear white[34] orseersucker.[35][36] The source of the tradition lies in part with the migration of wealthy 19th century New Yorkers back from their summer-homeNewport Mansions and accompanying change back from summer clothes.[37] The traditional last day to wearstraw hats moved from around Labor Day (September 1) to September 15. In 1922, theStraw Hat Riot broke out due to gangs snatching the hats of men violating this rule in New York City. The unofficial beginning of summer, and the summer fashion season in the United States, isMemorial Day. In the 2020s, some people have approved of wearing white year-round.[37]
There are numerous events and activities organized in major cities. For example, New York offers theLabor Day Carnival, and fireworks over Coney Island.[38] In Washington, one popular event is the Labor Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol featuring theNational Symphony Orchestra with free attendance.[39]
To take advantage of large numbers of potential customers with time to shop, Labor Day has become an important weekend fordiscounts and allowances by many retailers in the United States, especially forback-to-school sales. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season'sBlack Friday.[40]
