Labor DAY

1882 -

• Name	Labor DAY  [1]
  Birth	5 Sep 1882  [1]
  Gender	Male
  HIST	It's more than a day off from work AP FILE PHOTO Before the labor movement and the first Labor Day in 1892, working class children could be found operating dangerous machinery and working at mines and other locations for 12 to 16 hours a day. Posted Thursday, September 3, 2015 6:00 am BY IVY MOORE IVYM@THEITEM.COM Most people think of Labor Day simply as a day off from work, a last hurrah for summer, time for a cookout or one final trip to the beach. In actuality the observance began more than a century ago with the country's labor unions in an effort to improve the lives of working people. In the early 1880s, the working class had no protection from the bosses. They worked long hours for little pay and had little or no rights. Children labored alongside adults, generally as long as 12 hours a day, seven days a week. As oppressed people often have, workers, including mainly members of the Central Labor Union of New York, had finally had enough abuse and organized a march down Broadway on Sept. 5, 1882. Resembling more a demonstration than a parade, they carried placards summing up their demands and statements in praise of the workers; about 20,000 - a huge number in those days - took part. Some of their signs read "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for recreation" and "Labor creates all wealth." By 1885, other cities were observing what was called "a working man's holiday." Then in 1894, 31 states declared an offical Labor Day holiday. That same year, railroad employees working for George Pullman had their wages cut while rent for their homes owned by Pullman and their hours and conditions remained the same and their union representatives were fired. This led 50,000 of them to boycott trains with Pullman Railway cars, and rail traffic, including the U.S. mail, into and out of Chicago was completely stalled. As the public learned of the railroad employees' working conditions and treatment, President Grover Cleveland signed a proclamation making the first Monday in September a national holiday - it was a Congressional election year. Even though Cleveland had declared a holiday for workers, he celebrated the Fourth of July in 1894 by breaking the Chicago railway boycott by sending troops to the city; seven men were killed, but the holiday remained intact. And Cleveland's Democrats lost heavily in the election that year. George Pullman was so reviled by the people of Chicago that when he died his grave had tons of concrete poured over it, as it was feared the angry people might desecrate his body. For the next few decades, working people held parades on each Labor Day, after observing what was then called Labor Sunday, a day to pray and reflect on the meaning and value of work. Labor unions became stronger and working conditions and worker rights improved greatly. The history of labor unions includes many successes and some failures, abuses and scandals, but to a great degree, working people still enjoy the improvements made possible by the U.S. labor movement. Few parades celebrate the working class these days; and so on Monday, as we celebrate with our cookouts and parties, we working and retired people might pause, reflect on the actions that led to this holiday celebrating our contributions to society and the economy and lift a beer or an iced tea to those who fought for our rights.  [1]
  HIST	It's more than a day off from work AP FILE PHOTO Before the labor movement and the first Labor Day in 1892, working class children could be found operating dangerous machinery and working at mines and other locations for 12 to 16 hours a day. Posted Thursday, September 3, 2015 6:00 am BY IVY MOORE IVYM@THEITEM.COM Most people think of Labor Day simply as a day off from work, a last hurrah for summer, time for a cookout or one final trip to the beach. In actuality the observance began more than a century ago with the country's labor unions in an effort to improve the lives of working people. In the early 1880s, the working class had no protection from the bosses. They worked long hours for little pay and had little or no rights. Children labored alongside adults, generally as long as 12 hours a day, seven days a week. As oppressed people often have, workers, including mainly members of the Central Labor Union of New York, had finally had enough abuse and organized a march down Broadway on Sept. 5, 1882. Resembling more a demonstration than a parade, they carried placards summing up their demands and statements in praise of the workers; about 20,000 - a huge number in those days - took part. Some of their signs read "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for recreation" and "Labor creates all wealth." By 1885, other cities were observing what was called "a working man's holiday." Then in 1894, 31 states declared an offical Labor Day holiday. That same year, railroad employees working for George Pullman had their wages cut while rent for their homes owned by Pullman and their hours and conditions remained the same and their union representatives were fired. This led 50,000 of them to boycott trains with Pullman Railway cars, and rail traffic, including the U.S. mail, into and out of Chicago was completely stalled. As the public learned of the railroad employees' working conditions and treatment, President Grover Cleveland signed a proclamation making the first Monday in September a national holiday - it was a Congressional election year. Even though Cleveland had declared a holiday for workers, he celebrated the Fourth of July in 1894 by breaking the Chicago railway boycott by sending troops to the city; seven men were killed, but the holiday remained intact. And Cleveland's Democrats lost heavily in the election that year. George Pullman was so reviled by the people of Chicago that when he died his grave had tons of concrete poured over it, as it was feared the angry people might desecrate his body. For the next few decades, working people held parades on each Labor Day, after observing what was then called Labor Sunday, a day to pray and reflect on the meaning and value of work. Labor unions became stronger and working conditions and worker rights improved greatly. The history of labor unions includes many successes and some failures, abuses and scandals, but to a great degree, working people still enjoy the improvements made possible by the U.S. labor movement. Few parades celebrate the working class these days; and so on Monday, as we celebrate with our cookouts and parties, we working and retired people might pause, reflect on the actions that led to this holiday celebrating our contributions to society and the economy and lift a beer or an iced tea to those who fought for our rights.
  _UID	74981C49E170474D8CF653809A651529E8B2
  _UID	74981C49E170474D8CF653809A651529E8B2
  Person ID	I304747	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2015

  
  

  Family	Day LABOR
  _UID	F66AAD68F045464690FC85B9438E461A3138
  _UID	F66AAD68F045464690FC85B9438E461A3138
  Family ID	F204250	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

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  [S23175] It’s more than a day off from work.