Here's my old blog from 2 years ago...
Traditionally, Labor Day is
celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The
holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Speeches or
political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labor Day
celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor
organizations often feature political themes and appearances by
candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of
celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water
sports, and public art events. Yeah, we are spending the day at the
beach. Labor Day also marks the beginning of the NFL and college
football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the week
before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game
the Thursday following Labor Day....
But do you know why we celebrate it?
The
first Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882
in New York City, by the Central Labor Union of New York, the nation's
first integrated major trade union.
It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a
number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals
during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put
reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority.
Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national
holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a
mere six days after the end of the strike.
The September date originally chosen by the CLU of NY and observed by
many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was
selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day
because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir
up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, for which it had
been observed to commemorate. All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories had made it a statutory holiday.
The Pullman Strike...
The
Pullman Strike was a nationwide conflict between labor unions and
railroads that occurred in the United States in 1894. The conflict began
in the town of Pullman, Illinois on May 11 when approximately 3,000
employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company began a strike in response
to recent reductions in wages, bringing traffic west of Chicago to a
halt. The American Railway Union, the nation's first industry-wide union, subsequently became embroiled in what
The New York Times
described as "a struggle between the greatest and most important labor
organization and the entire railroad capital" that involved some
250,000 workers in 27 states at its peak.
President Grover Cleveland ordered federal troops to Chicago to end the
strike, causing debate within his own cabinet about whether the
President had the constitutional authority to do so. The conflict peaked
on July 6, shortly after the troops' arrival in the city, and ended
several days later.
The strike was broken up by United
States Marshals and some 12,000 United States Army troops, sent in by
President Grover Cleveland on the premise that the strike interfered
with the delivery of U.S. Mail, ignored a federal injunction and
represented a threat to public safety. The arrival of the military and
subsequent deaths of workers led to further outbreaks of violence.
During the course of the strike, 13 strikers were killed and 57 were
wounded.
Now when you're at the beach celebrating,
think about why we have this holiday... it's a way the federal
government tried to appease the labor unions for those who died during
the 1894 Pullman Strike!!!
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