Labor Day 2024 USA: Labor Day in the United States is observed annually on the first Monday of September, with the 2024 observance falling on September 2. The holiday has its roots in the 19th-century labor movement, emerging during a time when American workers endured long hours, low pay, and unsafe working conditions.
As labor unions and activists advocated for better treatment of workers during the Industrial Revolution, the idea of a holiday dedicated to celebrating the contributions of trade and labor unions gained traction, according to History.com.
Today, many Americans commemorate Labor Day with parades and parties, echoing the traditions outlined in the holiday's first proposals, as noted by the U.S. Department of Labor. Over the years, the day has also become associated with speeches from elected officials and community leaders, highlighting the economic and civic importance of the occasion.
Origins of Labor Day
Two figures, Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire, are both credited with proposing the idea for Labor Day, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, is traditionally credited with suggesting the holiday in 1882. However, recent research points to machinist Matthew Maguire, who proposed the idea that same year while serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.
Regardless of who initiated the idea, Labor Day quickly gained recognition among labor activists and in various states well before it became a federal holiday. The first Labor Day was celebrated in 1882 in New York City, organized by the Central Labor Union. On that day, 10,000 workers took unpaid leave to march from City Hall to Union Square, as documented by History.com.
Although New York was the first state to introduce a bill to recognize Labor Day, Oregon was the first to pass such a law in 1887, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. By 1894, 32 states had adopted the holiday.
Federal Recognition of Labor Day
Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894 when President Grover Cleveland signed a law passed by Congress designating the first Monday in September as a holiday for workers.
The federal recognition came in the wake of significant unrest among workers and labor activists, which brought workers' rights to the forefront of public attention. In May of that year, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the dismissal of union representatives, as noted by History.com. In June, the federal government sent troops to Chicago to quell a boycott of Pullman railway cars led by labor activist Eugene V. Debs, resulting in deadly riots.
In response, Congress swiftly passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories, which President Cleveland signed into law on June 28, 1894.
