Labor Day is a special holiday set aside to honor workers and the contributions that they make to their jobs and to society.

The History of Labor Day

There is some doubt and confusion as to when or by whom Labor Day was started. Here are some points of importance to how Labor Day Started.

April 15, 1872 - Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) (possibly the original labour body in Canada) organized the first North American "workingman's demonstration". Some 10,000 Torontonians turned out to watch a parade and to listen to speeches calling for abolition of the law which decreed that "trade unions were criminal conspiracies in restraint of trade".

September 3, 1872 - Members of seven unions in Ottawa Canada organized a parade that stretched for more than a mile long. The parade stopped at the home of Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald. They brought him into a carriage and marched to the Ottawa City Hall by torch light. The Prime Minister was aware of the discontent of workers with the laws which made unions illegal so he made this declaration that his party would "Sweep away all such barbarous laws from the statute books". These laws were repealed by Parliament later that year and the tradition of holding parades and demonstrations was continued on into the early 1880's.

July 22, 1882 - The Toronto Trades and Labour Council (the successor to the TTA) organized the annual demonstration and parade. Peter J. McGuire of New York was invited to attend and speak at this occasion.

1882 - Matthew Maguire, later secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J. proposed a Holiday for Labor while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

1882 - Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor suggested a day to honor workers.

September 5, 1882 - The Central Labor Union held its first Labor Day holiday in New York City. A second Labor Day was again held a year later on September 5, 1883.

1884 - The first Monday in September was selected as the holiday and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to also celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date.

February 21, 1887 - Oregon passed the first bill to become law making Labor Day an official holiday.

June 28, 1894 - The U.S.A. Congress passed an act making the first Monday of September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories including all Federal workers in all states. The individual States still had to enact their own legislation which 31 States had done already by this time.

July 23, 1894 - The Canadian Government enacted legislation making Labour Day, the first Monday of September of each year into a national holiday.

Regardless of who, where or when Labour Day was started, it is now an important holiday which is now celebrated in many different countries.

Even though Labour Day was born through the activities of the trade unions, which are still holding demonstrations and picnics on Labour Day, this is a holiday to be celebrated by ALL who labour and who's efforts and skills at so many different jobs to give us the materials to fulfill all of our wants and necessities in society.

I Hear America Singing

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of the mechanics-each one singing his,
as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work,
or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat-
the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck;
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench-
the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter's song-the ploughboy's, on his way in
the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother-or of the young
wife at work-or of the girl sewing or washing-
Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day-At night, the party of
young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

Walt Whitman
'O Little Town Of Bethlehem, (Pennsylvania)

Quotes

Ten thousand times has the labor movement stumbled and bruised itself. We have been enjoined by the courts, assaulted by thugs, charged by the militia, traduced by the press, frowned upon in public opinion, and deceived by politicians. 'But notwithstanding all this and all these, labor is today the most vital and potential power this planet has ever known, and its historic mission is as certain of ultimate realization as is the setting of the sun.
Eugene V. Debs (1894)

The Labor Movement; the folks who brought you the weekend.
From a bumper sticker, 1995

Labor Day differs in every essential from other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflict and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation.
Samual Gempers, founder and president of the American Federation of Labor
...who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.

Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor

Labour Day in Bermuda

Please feel free to use this graphic to link back to this page.

RAOK Labour Day

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Creek/9369/project7/labor.html

We have also had this lovely quilt piece made for the Quilt for The Causes Webring. To check out other causes just click on the Quilt.

This project could not have been completed without all of the help these wonderful people.

Webdesign by Maggie
Background by Shirley
Graphics by: Sue Cat, Gramma Nancy, Nennie and Mrs. Owl
URL links/research by: Sue Cat, Diane, Mellocup9, Joan, Carissa and Nennie
Ideas and contributions by: Zack
TLC Committee Leader Kind Soul

The background for the History of Labor Day featuring US unions can be found here.

The background for the History of Labour Day featuring Canadian unions was made by Maggie's Union Pages

The History of Labor Day

Quotes

Links