Labor Day

This article is about the U.S. holiday. For the similarly-named holiday in other countries, see Labour Day. For other uses, see Labor Day (disambiguation).

Labor Day
Labor Day Parade in New York's Union Square, 1882
Observed byUnited States
TypeNational
CelebrationsParades, barbecues
DateFirst Monday in September
2023 dateSeptember 4  (2023-09-04)
2024 dateSeptember 2  (2024-09-02)
2025 dateSeptember 1  (2025-09-01)
2026 dateSeptember 7  (2026-09-07)
FrequencyAnnual
Related toLabour Day

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States.[1][2][3]

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the U.S. officially celebrated Labor Day.[4]

Canada's Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 150 other countries celebrate International Workers' Day on May 1, the European holiday of May Day. May Day was chosen by the Second International of socialist and communist parties to commemorate the general labor strike in the United States and events leading to the Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago, Illinois, from May 1 – May 4, 1886.[5][6]

  1. ^ U.S. Department of Labor, "Labor Daze – Pride, Chaos and Kegs on Labor's First 'Day'"
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference labor dept was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Labor Day 2020". History.com. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bridgemens1921 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Philip S. Foner (1986). May Day: A Short History of the International Workers' Holiday, 1886–1986. New York: International Publishers. pp. 41–43. ISBN 0-7178-0624-3.
  6. ^ Rothman, Lily (May 1, 2017). "The Bloody Story of How May Day Became a Holiday for Workers". Time. Retrieved 2018-03-18.