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The History of Labor Day

The roots of Labor Day date back to the late 19th century when Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire came up with the idea to honor those who have worked hard during their lives in order to make a decent living for themselves and their families. Congress recognized the holiday in 1894 as the first Monday in September. The creation of Labor Day served as a victory for workers across the United States and for the recently-budding organized labor unions.

Many labor demonstrations at the turn of the century resulted in violence and federal intervention. In 1913 the U.S. Department of Labor was created to protect the rights of workers across the country, and in 1914 the Clayton Antitrust Act was put in place that legalized friendly strikes and boycotts. As the government became more proactive in ensuring, protecting, and implementing programs to protect workers rights, labor membership began to decline. Today, less than 14% of employees belong to unions.

As of 2004, 59.2% of all women are an active part of the labor force, and women account for 46.0% of all workers.

The unemployment rate is currently hovering around 5% (as of March 2006), a very strong number and an indicator of a healthy economy. This is opposed to during the Great Depression, when the unemployment rate approached 25%.

The number of large strikes per year has dropped from 424 in 1950 to a mere 17 in 2004. Strikes in 1950 resulted in 30,390,000 hours of lost productivity, while strikes in 2004 resulted in 3,344,000 hours of lost productivity.

(All facts taken from the U.S. Department of Labor)