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Key Points
Having a picnic this Labor Day? If so, you’re honoring a tradition going all the way back to the first Labor Day parade, held in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882.
“After marching from City Hall to Union Square, the workers and their families gathered in Reservoir Park for a picnic, concert and speeches,” according to the Library of Congress.
“Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
While the workers and their families at that first Labor Day would have enjoyed their picnics and celebrations then, conditions were very different. None of the workers were taking a paid holiday, and the forty-hour work week, overtime pay, and the now traditional five-day work week were all far into the future.
Safety laws and regulations were also rare then. Nearly three decades later, the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred in New York City in 1911, killing 146 garment workers. The factory was located eight stories up and many of those who died jumped to their deaths, since the doors to the stairwells were locked. The factory owners were more concerned about theft and someone taking a break without permission than they were about their employees’ safety.
Although this tragedy spurred legislation to better protect workers, it frequently took incidents such as these to prompt change.
President Grover Cleveland signed the bill creating Labor Day on June 24, 1894. The bill had languished in the Senate for nearly tenmonths until the middle of June, then made it through both houses of Congress in just a handful of days.
Many people believe passage of the bill was intended not only to honor working people; it was also to help placate the labor movement at a time when one of the best-known incidents in American labor history was escalating. The Pullman Strike, at a railroad car factory near Chicago, included incidents of violence on both sides, caused tremendous property damage, and led to the deaths of 30 people.
Since the days of the first Labor Day celebration, the Pullman Strike, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, labor union members and others have worked to improve conditions beyond those already mentioned. Child labor laws, a minimum wage, health benefits, and help for workers injured on the job are among the fruits of their efforts.
The concept of the first Labor Day celebration is generally credited to one of two men from New York. However it happened, the idea of workers celebrating each other and the work itself has been a key part of American society ever since.
Editor’s note: Tim Price (1959-2024) was a feature writer for Mainstreet Daily News, which previously published a version of this story.