About Labor Day
Labor Day in the United States falls on the first Monday of September and honours the contributions of American workers. It is the older sibling of the international 1 May Labour Day; the two share their roots in the labour movement of the 1880s but diverged for political reasons. The first US Labor Day parade was organised by the Central Labor Union in New York City on 5 September 1882. After the 1894 Pullman Strike, in which federal troops killed striking workers, President Grover Cleveland signed a hasty bill making Labor Day a federal holiday on the first Monday in September — deliberately distancing it from the radical-tinged 1 May. Canada observes its Labour Day on the same Monday. For most Americans the day marks the unofficial end of summer.
Labor Day weekend is the long weekend most Americans use for a final summer trip: the lake, the beach, the cabin, a national park. Cookouts, fireworks displays at minor-league baseball games, hot-dog-eating contests and parades through small towns fill the calendar. The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon ran every Labor Day weekend from 1966 to 2014, raising billions for muscular dystrophy research. Major college and professional sports kick off — NFL preseason wraps up, college football is in full swing. The unofficial fashion rule that white clothing is not worn after Labor Day persists in some social circles. Federal offices, banks and the stock market are closed; almost every private employer gives the day off. Public schools generally open the next morning.