Labor Day

In 1882 a machinist, Matthew McGuire, envisioned the need for a day to honor the American worker. He came up with this idea of recognizing the American workers while he was the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. The union adopted his proposal and planned the first celebration of Labor Day. He later went on to become the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, NJ. However, some historians credit Peter McGuire, a carpenter and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, as founding this movement, but after much research on this subject they have come to the conclusion that Matthew McGuire was the actual founder of Labor Day.

The first celebration of Labor Day was observed on Tuesday September 5, 1882 in New York City. A demonstration was led by 10,000 workers marching from city hall to Union Square honoring those who have given their lives to building our country. This celebration has continued to the present day.

Labor Day was established as a Federal holiday twelve years later by President Grover Cleveland as a tribute to the American worker following the tragic deaths of people who lost their lives in the Pullman Strike in 1894. This was the worst strike in labor history.

The Pullman Palace Car Company was the livelihood of many labor workers in Pullman, Illinois. In 1893, the need for the Pullman cars began to decline due to an economic depression dubbed the "Panic of 1983". This is the worst depression ever to hit the United Sates. It was caused by the railroads over building and bank failures. As this depression began to take its toll on the company it sales began to plummet and tensions rose from the poorly paid workers who were working twelve hours days barely making ends meet. The unions had been desperately trying to bring about the eight hour day but at this time they had not been successful. The company compensated their financial losses by cutting the wages of these workers and still expecting them to work these twelve hour days. And to add fuel to the fire the company, who owned much of the city, also decided not to decrease the workers rent. A group of workers were so angered by hearing their pleas ignored with brazen arrogance by the company owner George Pullman that they went on a wildcat strike otherwise known as the Pullman Strike. This strike was initiated and led by Eugene V. Debs, labor leader of the American Railway Union; thus bringing transportation in Chicago westward to a stand still.

(A wildcat strike is an unauthorized strike not warranted by a union. It is illegal, and a worker can be fired, and or prosecuted, by taking part in this action).

This strike went down in history as the greatest dispute between the largest labor union in the United States and the railway system affecting more that 250,000 workers encompassing 27 states.

Many people lost their lives when President Cleveland called in the military and US Marshalls to quell this strike.

So as Labor Day comes around in September do not view it as an end of summer celebration but rather a celebration of the sacrifices of "the working man".

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1893