Conversation Starter: Why You Get Labor Day Off
If today you find yourself amid friends, enjoying a lovely extra moment of weekend, when suddenly the conversation falls silent and you realize you've got nothing left to talk about, it might be a good opportunity to share with your drinking buddies the true meaning of Labor Day.
After all, we celebrate the holiday by taking a day off work, grilling, and going to Bumbershoot, but for what? To whom are we paying homage with this spare weekend day?
The Seattlest sleuths did a little historical fact checking, and found this valuable, conversation-bolstering information about the first Monday in September:
Labor Day was first observed by members of the Central Labor Union in New York 1882, but was not declared an official holiday until 1894, by President Grover "Not the Muppet" Cleveland, following the ordered deaths of several union members during the Pullman Strike in Illinois. And though historians continue to debate over whose idea the holiday actually was, they can agree that it was essentially an attempt to assuage the anguish of the nation's labor force, and appease civilians with a bit of recognition and a day off.
The initial date, Sept. 5, 1882, was selected, it's speculated, due to the fact that the Knights of Labor conference was slated to be in New York City on that same day, which would solidify a strong turnout and plenty of word-of-mouth. The event stayed on Sept. 5 for a few years, but was then moved to simply the first Monday in September, guaranteeing a day off for laborers.
The meaning of Labor Day has widely shifted--initially a celebration of the toils of union workers and the strength of American's working class, the day is now mostly a marker of the end of summer, and the beginning of football season.
And so, if today you yourself are enjoying a refreshing adult beverage and watching a sporting event rather than sitting hunched over your computer on a gorgeous September day, we suggest you raise a glass to the men and women who labored before you to bring you a 3-day weekend. And now you know.
All facts are courtesy of the Department of Labor, PBS, and Slate magazine. If you have a problem with the aforementioned facts, take it up with them.
