For many Americans, the first Monday of each September is just another day off. For some, it’s the first long weekend back from school or the last weekend before school gets back in session. For others, it marks the unofficial end of summer. However, for everyone in the U.S., the day represents the federal holiday Labor Day, which is meant to celebrate workers and recognize their contributions to America.
The day itself was created in 1894 under former President Grover Cleveland’s administration in response to the Pullman Strike, led by labor leader Eugene Debs.
During the Panic of 1893, the economy was in crisis, which was caused by a confluence of factors, including the implementation of the McKinley Tariff and President Benjamin Harrison’s protectionist trade policies, according to a 2019 U.S. News & World Report article.
The Pullman Strike, occurring during this time, was spurred by the Pullman Palace Car Company’s wage cuts and refusal to lower rents in the town of Pullman, Ill., according to a Britannica article.
In many ways, the late 19th to early 20th centuries were really the apex of the American labor movement’s influence, as these times saw the ushering in of several labor regulations and the founding of many prominent labor unions.
Politicians in this country were actually accountable to the forces of labor and the American workforce that keeps the economy going day in and day out.
Although there was a tremendous amount of inequality and economic pain, a lot of these dark moments led to an era of many good government reforms. The administration of President Franklin Roosevelt also came about in the early 20th century. Among other things, Roosevelt signed into law the bill that created the National Labor Relations Board, which guaranteed the right of workers to collectively bargain, among other things.
All of this is to say that it is sad to see the meaning of this day, and the broader history of the labor movement in the U.S., being largely forgotten by people as they grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers on their day off.
Now, I’m not saying that you can’t have fun, or that you can’t relax and enjoy Labor Day; far from it, but I do think it is important to remember all of the labor leaders who paved the way for so many of the rules and regulations that we have today that ensure some level of oversight is placed upon employers.
The labor movement of this time period won reforms such as the five-day work week, mandatory breaks in shifts and minimum wage laws, which workers, regardless of union status, enjoy to this day.
Although it’s difficult to grapple with at times, it does seem as though hard times build strong movements and are often the means of political radicalization (for the better) among Americans.
We now face similarly trying times in today’s America, with union membership drastically down from the times of old, wealth inequality skyrocketing, housing crises across the country and the cost of necessities only growing.
Just recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover report showed that unemployed workers outnumbered the number of available jobs, a dire sign for the U.S. job market.
While it may be easy to sit back and wallow in how bleak things seem nowadays, one should hope that a true radicalization among the American public will ensue as everyone grapples with the fact that this system of unfettered capitalism has led us to this point.
I am glad that Labor Day exists, but there is something deeply ironic about giving workers one day off (and even then, some do not have the day off), and telling them to return to their low-wage, low-benefit, dead-end jobs the next day as normal.
How generous of our government to give us a single day off from work, surely we should never ask for anything more than this! At least when Labor Day was first enacted, it came packaged with real, tangible reforms, but now it just feels like a pity.
My advice is this: Unionize your workplace, always ask for more and never take the status quo as an answer from your employer, your representative or otherwise. We hold the power in this system and it’s high time we show it.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
