With the decline of labor unions in the last several decades, it is interesting to take note of this? holiday that we celebrate every year. {{more: continue …}}?
The first Labor Day celebration was in 1882. It was a parade planned by the Central Labor Union in New York, according to the U.S.
Department of Labor. Oregon, however, was the first state to pass a law making Labor Day a holiday in 1887.
But it wasn’t a legal holiday everywhere … The Encyclopedia
Britannica?says The Pullman Strike happened in the summer of 1894. Workers boycotted the railroads to fight for safe conditions, normal schedules, and living wages, according to History.com. To honor the labor movement after this, President Grover Cleveland officially declared Labor Day a national holiday.?
Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of every September. So it falls on a different date every year, just like Easter and Thanksgiving. The very first Labor Day celebration was on September 5. This year, it is on the third.?
The holiday is meant to honor the nearly 160 million working Americans. Last year, the United States Census?found that 159.8 million people made up the American labor force. The most popular jobs among them? Retail salespersons and cashiers.?
Other countries celebrate Labor Day on May 1 instead. The rest of the world calls it International Workers’ Day, and it’s pretty similar to our Labor Day sentiment, according to CNN. Some people have celebrations and parades, while others use the day to advocate for workers’ rights.?
Most schools and jobs are closed on Labor Day – but stores stay open. That means retail workers don’t get the same well-deserved break. It’s a huge holiday when it comes to sales (like Black Friday), especially for clothes and school supplies.
It’s the third most popular day of the year to have a cookout. It falls behind Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, according to a consumer survey by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. So all the people who aren?t spending the day shopping or working are probably firing up the grill.
Labor Day marks the end of peak hot dog season. The National
Hot Dog and Sausage Council?says Americans consume about 7 billion hot dogs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
And it’s the beginning of the traditional back-to-school season. It depends on the area, but many public schools have their first day of the academic year a day or two after Labor Day. Some states are even requiring schools?to start after Labor Day.
Source: MSN?
