So if Labor Day alias International Workers Day is really May 1st, how did we start celebrating it on September 1st?
Although the Knights of Labor are the ones who chose May 1st, Grover Cleveland changed the date to not have it confused it with the Haymarket Massacre, a Pullman strike that occurred in New York on May 4th 1886. There were concerns it would be viewed as 'socialist.' Its purpose is to "recognize the social and economic achievements of workers."
It is Canada who celebrated Labor Day September 1st. A machinist, Matthew MacGuire, while serving as NY's CLU's (Central Labor Union) secretary brought the holiday celebration back to his state of Oregon in 1882 after seeing it celebrated in Canada on September 1st.
Ironically the creation of Labor Day sales created much longer working hours for workers instead of a day off. So much for a holiday for all...
What's important no matter what the date is to acknowledge the achievements of the labor movement with hopes that we don't undo all the years of progress to improve working conditions... We all will need to fight for this.
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