6 Facts about Labor Day & America’s Workforce

Celebrated annually on the first Monday in September, Labor Day is a product of the labor movement that pays tribute to the hard work and accomplishments of American workers.

While we celebrate today by enjoying parades and family time as summer winds down, it wasn’t always that way. Discover six facts about Labor Day and the American workforce as you look forward to a day of rest and relaxation on Monday.

1. As Labor Day got its start in the late 1800s, it was common for the average American to work 12-hour days seven days per week just to make ends meet. Portions of the workforce at that time also included children as young as five.

2. The first Labor Day parade took place on September 5, 1882, in New York City, when 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square.

3. Though it’s been narrowed down to one of two men, the jury’s still out on whether Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first suggested the holiday.

4. Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday on February 21, 1887. It didn’t become a federal holiday until Congress passed an official act in 1894.

5. The Adamson Act was the first federal law to regulate hours and overtime pay for employees of private companies. Passed in 1916, the act established the first official eight-hour work day.

6. Today the average American commute is 26 minutes. That’s the equivalent of spending nine full, 24-hour days traveling to and from work each year.

Sources:
United States Department of Labor
History
Forbes Media
The Washington Post