Labor Day

Labor Day is celebrted as the last holiday weekend of the SummerBut it was originally a day given to the labor unions

Industrial Revolution

Many People Worked Long Hours for Low Pay

Labor Unions Labor Unions

were formed to combat poor working

Workers Used

Strikes

Pullman Strike 1894

Pullman Factory

Pullman Palace Car Company

Economic Panic of 1893Strike of 1894 started with 3000 employees of PullmanGrew to 250,000 Rail Road employees in 27 states13 Dead 54 Wounded$340,000 damages ($8,818,000)

Eugene V. Debs

Leader of the American Railway UnionOrganized the StrikeJailed for 6 months for ignoring court injunctionBecame a leader of the Socialist Party

Grover Cleveland

Wanted to appease the Unions for the deaths in the Pullman strikeHe proposed and Congress unanimously voted to make Labor Day a National Holiday in 1894

Political Consequences

Governor John P. Altgeld of IllinoisWanted to send in the State MilitiaHated Cleveland for stepping inBlocked Cleveland's reelection bid

First Labor Day Parade

September 1882

New York City

Knights of Labor

Labor Day Parades

Other Labor Day Traditions

Last day to wear white.

Start of football season

Happy Labor Day