Labor Day History

Labor Day is the big end-of-summer holiday in the United States, but it is much more than that. The holiday celebrates the dignity of work. It honors the achievements of American workers and the importance of their contribution to the nation.

The first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City. On September 5, 1882, a Tuesday, about 10,000 workers paraded from City Hall to Union Square. Afterward, they gathered in Reservoir Park with their families for a concert and a picnic. That event was organized by the Central Labor Union, which urged other labor organizations to celebrate with them the following year.

In 1887, Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday. That same year,

Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York did the same. Other states soon followed their example. In 1894, Congress passed legislation making Labor Day a national holiday, to be celebrated on the first Monday of September. Workers across the country used the day to celebrate their achievements and to call for reforms.

That first Labor Day in New York is believed to have been the suggestion of Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter who was a union leader and cofounder of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions. The idea may have come from Matthew Maguire, a machinist who was then secretary of the Central Labor Union. In either case, the Central Labor Union deserves full credit for organizing the celebration. They were the first to call for a holiday dedicated to labor.