Labor Day is a celebration of the millions of workers across the United States that make this country what it is. Imagine working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, from age 5 on. Before labor laws were put in place, this was the norm. Here we’ve compiled 10 fun facts about the history and traditions of Labor Day.
1. “The first celebrated US Labor Day was on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City, planned by the Central Labor Union.”
2. “Other regions started having parades, and by 1887, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado made Labor Day a state holiday.”
3. “The year in which the 8-hour day was firmly established was 1916 with the passage of the Adamson Act. This was the first federal law regulating hours of workers in private companies.”
4. “Canada is said to have originated the idea of hosting a day honoring the labor movement. In 1872, they held a “Nine-Hour Movement” to show support for striking workers.”
5. “In 1983, the union membership rate was 20.1% in the US. Membership was 10.7% in 2017. New York has the highest rate of union workers among the states, with 23.8% in 2017. South Carolina has the lowest, with 2.6% in 2017.”
6. “The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat 7 billion hot dogs.”
7. “Can you take a stab at the top grossing movie opening on Labor Day Weekend? According to BoxOffice Mojo, it was Halloween in 2007 bringing in $30,591,759.”
8. “The average work day in the 19th century was 12 hours long, 7 days a week and sometimes children as young as 5 were working in factories!”
9. “The first Waffle House opened on Labor Day. In 1955, in Avondale Estates, GA, the very first Waffle House opened its doors to the public.”
10. “In other countries, May 1st (May Day) is the day working people are honored. The majority of Europe celebrates May Day.”
