Why do Americans celebrate Labor Day?
Labor Day is a national holiday, planned to honor U.S. workers and their addition to the economy. Many Americans run the day to celebrate the end of summer and would be astonished to know the day has its origins in the labor campaign of the conclusion of the 1800s.
How did the holiday start?
Throughout the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution was at its peak, and many Americans worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in severe conditions for low pay. Even young children worked in factories. Virtually no companies provided their workers with sick days, paid vacation days or health benefits.
As workers became more organized into labour unions, they began protesting poor and hazardous working conditions and urging for more profits from employers. The move to identify workers with a holiday started in state governments, which, one by one, passed bill to honour the ordinary worker. The U.S. Congress established the federal holiday on June 28, 1894, choosing the first Monday in September as Labor Day.
What is the distinction between Labor Day and May Day?
Both Labor Day and International Labour Day, or May Day, honour the typical worker. May Day, which is dedicated in most industrialized countries in the world, got its start because of effects in the United States.
In May 1886, a worker presentation was held in Chicago’s Haymarket Square to drive for an eight-hour workday. A shell went off at the protest, shooting seven police officers and four civilians. The episode made headlines internationally and the day became an annual event for worker protests around the world.
Why don’t Americans celebrate May Day?
Following the Haymarket affair, a robust anti-union movement arose in the United States. Over the years, May Day became more associated with the political far left, while Labor Day, held in September, was recognized by an increasing number of municipalities and states. When the United States began to consider creating a national holiday for workers seriously, U.S. President Grover Cleveland did not want to choose the May date because of its association with the Haymaker bombing, so instead picked the alternative day in September.
What do Americans do on Labor Day?
The Labor Day holiday means the end of the summer and many Americans use the three-day weekend to try to get in one last summer vacation with trips to parks and beaches or to spend time at backyard barbecues with family and friends. The weekend also is a big shoppers’ weekend with sales on home items, beddings, clothes and school supplies.
Do all Americans get the holiday off?
Federal workers in the United States get the day off work, as do most corporate jobs. Many workers, however, especially those in retail, transit and the restaurant industry still have to go to work, with some working longer hours than on a typical business day.
Labor movement today
The labour movement, which originated in the 1800s, led to essential changes in the conditions in which Americans work, as well as worker benefits that are conventional today, including the eight-hour workday, five-day work weeks, health care insurance and paid vacation days.
In recent years, U.S. labour unions have seen their membership drop as the globalization of the world economy has begun to a shift in the types of jobs prevalent in the United States. Now, many union members work for local, state and federal governments in professional employment, rather than in the blue-collar jobs that were common 100 years ago.