LABOR DAY

annual holiday devoted to the recognition of working people's contribution to society. Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September in the United States and Canada and on May 1 or other dates in other countries. The idea for such a holiday in the United States is attributed to Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and labor union leader who later cofounded the precursor of the AFL-CIO. In 1882 he suggested to the Central Labor Union of New York that a celebration be held to honour the American worker. Acting on this idea, about 10,000 workers paraded in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, under the sponsorship of the Knights of Labor. The date of the celebration was chosen simply because it filled up the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. In 1884 the Knights of Labor adopted a resolution that the first Monday in September should be considered Labor Day. The idea spread rapidly, and by 1885 Labor Day events were taking place in many states. Oregon in 1887 was the first state to grant legal status to Labor Day (though the state initially celebrated it on the first Saturday in June). That same year Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts established the holiday on the first Monday in September, and other states soon followed. In 1894 Congress passed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday. Labor Day's associations with trade unions have gradually declined. The holiday marks the end of summer vacation for many American schoolchildren and is often celebrated at family picnics and sporting events. In most other countries, including former communist ones, May Day (q.v.; May 1) is the day generally chosen by labour unions and left-wing political parties to honour workers.