What is Labor Day?



Chuck Felix



It falls on the first Monday in September—this year September 5th.  It’s a chance to celebrate the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of America.  Thank you to all of our Armed Forces!

Founder of Labor Day    

Over 100 years after the first Labor Day celebration, there is still speculation as to who first started the holiday for workers.

Some research shows that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”

However, Peter McGuire’s spot in Labor Day history has been questioned.  Many think that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, founded the holiday.  Recent research supports Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., who proposed Labor Day in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. The Union adopted the Labor Day suggestion and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.