As the Labor Day weekend approaches, you’re probably getting ready to travel to see family–or maybe you’re staying home and barbecuing for friends who stop by. There’s no doubt it feels great to take advantage of your paid day off from work, but have you ever taken time to think about why you’ve been granted this holiday?
What Is Labor Day?
As you already know, Labor Day 2011 is not the first year we are celebrating this national holiday, but what you probably don’t know is that its origins date back over 100 years. In fact, the very first Labor Day in the United States was observed on Sept. 5, 1882 in Boston by the Central Labor Union of New York, which was the nation’s first integrated major trade union.
The reason for the celebration was to dedicate a day to the social and economic achievements of American workers. The idea was to recognize the contributions workers make to the prosperity, strength and well-being of the nation. The very next year, the Central Labor Union celebrated its second Labor Day holiday on Sept. 5, 1883, setting a trend for years to come.
However, the first Monday in September wasn’t officially set as the holiday until 1884, and it didn’t become a national holiday until over a decade later.
States such as Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York recognized the holiday by 1887. Then on June 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday in all of the territories, as well as the District of Columbia–this was following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike.
Observance and Celebration: Why It Matters Today
There is no doubt that the U.S. economy has evolved considerably since the year that Labor Day was first celebrated. For that reason, one could say that we have every reason to celebrate the holiday proudly.
At least, that was the idea behind the first proposal for the holiday, which included observance and celebration through a street parade that would exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations.”
Also included in the celebration would be a festival for workers and their families to enjoy recreation and amusement. The hope was that workers would truly understand how much they’re appreciated by being allowed to take a day off to celebrate themselves.
To an extent, workers who are currently employed can pat themselves on the back for contributing to the U.S. workforce and keeping companies in operation, which in turn keeps the economy moving.
However, various financial downfalls over the years, including the financial crisis that brought along with it excessive job loss and record foreclosures—not to mention the United States’ debt crisis and credit downgrade–have left us with a bit more somber holiday.
Economic conditions in the U.S. could be better, no doubt. So maybe this holiday can be different and we can expand on what Congress hoped to accomplish when signing the act in 1894.
Instead of only rallying behind the employed workers, we can also show great support for unemployed workers who are spending days and nights hoping to get back into the work force. And in addition to celebrating the strength and prosperity of the nation years ago, we can rally behind an economy that is fighting to repair itself after years of turmoil.
With nearly 7 million jobs gone forever, prosperity and strength have been harder to come by in the United States for a while, but we can hope that one day they will for millions of displaced workers.
This way, the next time someone wonders what Labor Day is really about, we’ll not only be able to point to a day on the calendar, but also explain the significance of this holiday and celebrate by continuing to rebuild the nation’s labor force, one job at a time.
