A Laborious Revolution

ALL >> Summer is nearing its end as August rolls into September. As the grills and lawn chairs are being packed away, parents are looking for the best back-to-school sales on pencils, notebooks and book bags, while kids are dreading the prospect of returning to the classroom. In the midst of the madness, however, is a day that many people seem to take for granted, and one that not many know the history of – Labor Day. Labor Day, a nationally recognized holiday, has customarily been known as the “calm before the storm.” Celebrated in a three-day weekend fashion, Labor Day is a chance for families and friends to get together one last time before real life kicks in and relax, either with a barbecue or trip to the mountains or simply a stay-at-home, do-nothing kind of day. But how and when did Labor Day begin, and most importantly, why? There is some disagreement as to who officially began the observance of Labor Day as a national holiday. The call for improved conditions for labor workers began in the late 19th century, in the middle of the Industrial Revolution of the United States. People of all ages worked long, hard hours just to scrape by with some sort of living. Working conditions were unsafe, and wages were extremely low, especially for those already poor or those who had not quite yet reached the ages of 18, 15 or even 10 (some were even as young as 6). Feelings of unrest and dissension turned into acts of organized protest, and even violence, as workers began to form labor unions and organize strikes against the companies that provided poor pay for long hours. The birth of Labor Day can be credited to two men, though some may argue who was truly the “Father of Labor Day:” Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire. McGuire was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, and he was quoted as suggesting first the idea of putting aside a day that would be dedicating to honoring those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” Shortly thereafter in 1882, however, machinist Maguire, who would later become the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, suggested the idea of the holiday when he was serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Regardless of who first initiated the idea, it boiled down to three events — the adoption of a Labor Day proposal by the Central Labor Union, the appointment of a committee to organize a demonstration and the first Labor Day Parade.