Community Corner

5 Fun Facts About Labor Day

The first Labor Day featured workers protesting a 16-hour work day.

It's Labor Day, the unofficial end to the summer season. Local swimming pools are closing as children return to school, but how did this holiday get its start?

Here are five fun facts about Labor Day.

  1. The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City back on Tuesday Sept. 5, 1882. The event was organized by the Central Labor Union, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
  2. More than 10,000 workers marched in the first Labor Day parade, protesting 16 hour workdays and were fighting to have an eight-hour workday.
  3. In 1884, the holiday began to be observed on the firstMonday of September as the Central Labor Union encouraged other labor groups to join with them.
  4. Ten years later in June 1894, Congress voted to make Labor Day a national federal holiday.
  5. Did you know that Labor Day is also celebrated in Canada? Other nations also celebrate the labor movement but it is called a "May Day" celebration in those countries.

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