Based on https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-labor-day-holiday
The Labor Day holiday is celebrated nationally on the first Monday in September. It grew out of the late 19th century organized labor movement, and it quickly became a national holiday as the labor movement assumed a prominent role in American society. Here’s how it all started, with the facts, as we know them, supplied by the Labor Department, the Library Of Congress, and other sources.
1. The idea first became public in 1882. In September 1882, the unions of New York City held a parade to celebrate their members being in unions, and to show support for all unions. More than 10,000 people were there, and the workers had to give up a day’s pay to attend. There was also a lot of beer involved in the event.
2. The New York parade inspired other unions. Other regions started having parades, and by 1887, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado had made Labor Day a state holiday. (Oregon was the first.)
3. Two people with similar names are credited with that first New York City event. Matthew Maguire, a machinist, and Peter McGuire, a carpenter, have been linked to the 1882 parade. The men were from rival unions. Historians aren’t sure which man should be credited – partially because they’ve been confused over the years due to similar-sounding names.
4. How did the Haymarket Affair influence Labor Day? On May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a union rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, which led to violence that killed seven police officers and four others. (see https://www.history.com/news/remembering-the-haymarket-riot) The incident led to May 1 being celebrated in most nations as Workers’ Day. The U.S. government chose Labor Day in September instead, to avoid radical socialist associations with May 1.
5. Grover Cleveland helped make Labor Day a national holiday. Amid violence related to the Pullman railroad strike (https://www.history.com/news/labor-day-pullman-railway-strike-origins), President Cleveland and lawmakers in Washington created a federal holiday to celebrate labor. Cleveland signed the act on June 29, 1894. Most states had already passed laws establishing a Labor Day holiday by that point.
6. The holiday has evolved over the years. In the late 19th century, celebrations focused on parades in urban areas. Now the holiday is a celebration that honors organized labor with fewer parades, and more activities. It also marks the perceived end of the summer season.
7. Labor Day is the unofficial end of Hot Dog season. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat 7 billion hot dogs.
8. How many people are union members today? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 17.7 million union members in the workforce in 1983, and 14.8 million in 2017. Numbers are growing again, partly due to the Covid pandemic.
9. What is the biggest union today? The National Education Association has about 3 million members, including inactive and lifetime members.
10. Why was the early labor movement so chaotic? Read this short summary of conditions in the late 19th century: https://www.investopedia.com/gilded-age-7692919
WPA Mural Depicting the UAW