Labor Day

[RED DAVE]

All sisters, brothers, comrades, are hereby exhorted to submit comments on labor, the dignity and history thereof, Labor Day, May Day and other similar topics.

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

(duplicates a thread started over at TR)

RED DAVE

[DMB]

It still seems very weird that you have it now rather than in May, like the rest of the world.

[munnki]

It still seems very weird that you have it now rather than in May, like the rest of the world.

I suspect that was to avoid an association with Russian/other Marxist states... although that's a hypothesis... I know nothing of the facts... To qualify 'this labour here' as opposed to 'that labour there'... again, I don't know why

[Goldie]

It's one last hurrah before summer is over...just as Memorial day brings in the summer vacation season.

Around here...people use both as a long weekend to go camping.

[Khatru]

We celebrate Labour Day by not doing any labour.

Well, most civil servants, teachers, local government staff, etc, do anyway.

[crazyfingers]

It still seems very weird that you have it now rather than in May, like the rest of the world.

I suspect that was to avoid an association with Russian/other Marxist states... although that's a hypothesis... I know nothing of the facts... To qualify 'this labour here' as opposed to 'that labour there'... again, I don't know why

Doesn't look like the timing has anything to do with that.

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Haymarket Affair

The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket riot or Haymarket massacre) was a disturbance that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket Square[4] in Chicago, and began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight police officers and an unknown number of civilians.[5][6] In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder. Four were put to death, and one committed suicide in prison.

The Haymarket affair is generally considered to have been an important influence on the origin of international May Day observances for workers.[7][8]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_Affair

[munnki]

It still seems very weird that you have it now rather than in May, like the rest of the world.

I suspect that was to avoid an association with Russian/other Marxist states... although that's a hypothesis... I know nothing of the facts... To qualify 'this labour here' as opposed to 'that labour there'... again, I don't know why

Doesn't look like the timing has anything to do with that.

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Haymarket Affair

The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket riot or Haymarket massacre) was a disturbance that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket Square[4] in Chicago, and began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight police officers and an unknown number of civilians.[5][6] In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder. Four were put to death, and one committed suicide in prison.

The Haymarket affair is generally considered to have been an important influence on the origin of international May Day observances for workers.[7][8]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_Affair


Thanks, wasn't sure and didn't have time to wiki it....

:)