Various men are credited with the original idea of a worker's holiday, Peter McGuire, later the co-founder of the AFL; Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York; and Robert Blissert, the head of the Knights of Labor, which began as a secret organization in 1869 and spread across the country. One fact all agree on, the first celebration took place in New York City on September 5, 1882, which was, oddly enough, a Tuesday. Thousands of workers gave up a day's pay to join in the march (parade), the celebration and speeches, and to protest long hours and low wages. The parade was planned to coincide with a Knights of Labor conference. After witnessing the success of the New York event, similar groups in other cities began their own celebrations. Soon, state legislatures were being petitioned to make the day a state holiday, intended to honor labors contribution to the country. The first state to declare the day a holiday was Oregon, in 1887, followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. President Grover Cleveland signed the Labor Day bill into law in 1894, in part to appease labor in an election year. This established the first Monday in September as the offical date. Ironically, it was Cleveland, who had, just days earlier, sent in thousands of federal troops to break up the Pullman Strike. This action led to rioting, violence and bloodshed. Railway workers in Chicago were protesting wage cuts and the strike spread across the nation, crippling the railroads, with the hub being Chicago. This is known in history as the Pullman Strike. After the strike chaos ended, a commission was set up and testimony taken. According to Theodore Rhodie, a Pullman worker, "We can make from $2.65 to $2.80 per day, working 10 1/2 hours per day..for work that I got $9 per hundred last fall...we could not make $1.25 per day out of it. It was impossible to make a living." Rent for the Pullman row houses ran from $15 to $22 a month, taken directly out of the pay as rent to Mr. Pullman. Although the United States and Canada celebrate in September, most of the world celebrates on May 1, a strange fact considering the roots of the May Day (International Labor/Workers Day) celebration spring from a tragic event in U.S. history. The date, May 1, was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket Square Riot which began on May 1, 1886, in Chicago. Eleven died and many were wounded. Workers were protesting for an 8-hour day when riots errupted, a bomb was thrown and more blood was shed. Four men were convicted and hanged, although no evidence was presented that linked the defendents directly to the bomb. Others who were convicted were later pardoned. The result of this workers rally is the basis of the May Day holiday, agreed on in Paris 1889. Today, Labor Day seems far from those early roots. It is now associated more with the end of summer and a return to school. Few today may recall that it was not until 1938, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, that a forty-hour week, maximum hours and a minimum wage became the standard in this country. So this Labor Day, try to "kick back" and "chill out" and enjoy the time off in any way you choose. Your health and well-being may depend on it. AccountingWEB.com Sep-1-2006 Categories: Accounting (General), Work/Life Balance, Lite_News Times read: 2473
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