Labor Day

Labor Day is a U.S. federal holiday in honor of workers.

Though some use the day to honor the role of workers and to commemorate the labor movement, there is often less emphasis on these things in the U.S., where most people associate the day with its status as the unofficial end of summer (just as Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of summer).

It is often celebrated with informal gatherings with family and friends, such as backyard barbecues. The weekend encompassing Labor Day and the Saturday and Sunday before it is often called Labor Day weekend.

The holiday known as Labour Day (which has the same origins) is observed in many places around the world, though often on a different date. It is sometimes called International Workers’ Day or simply Workers’ Day.

In 2023, Labor Day will fall on September 4. In 2024, Labor Day will fall on September 2.

Labor Day falls on the first Monday in September every year. This same date is used in Canada, where the day is known as Labour Day.

In most locations, the holiday known as Labour Day occurs on May 1, a day also observed in some places as May Day. In New Zealand, Labour Day falls on the fourth Monday in October. Different places in Australia observe Labour Day on different dates, including on May 1.

The first records of the term Labor Day come from the late 1880s. A day to commemorate workers and the struggle for the rights of workers and proper working conditions was first proposed in the 1800s. In the late 1880s, the date May 1 was chosen to commemorate labor protests at Haymarket Square in Chicago in 1886. At that time, workers went on strike to demand an eight-hour workday. In what became known as the Haymarket Riot or the Haymarket Affair, police killed several protesters, and a bomb was thrown at police. Although the person behind the bombing was never identified, some anarchist organizers were arrested and sentenced to death for the incident.

In the U.S., the holiday known as Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. May 1 had been observed in honor of workers and the labor movement prior to that time, but President Grover Cleveland is credited with promoting the move to the first Monday in September to distance the day from its anarchist and socialist origins.

Today, in some locations, especially where the name Labour Day is used, the day is marked by parades and political demonstrations to call for reforms and bring attention to the ongoing work of labor unions.

As is the case for many other holidays in the U.S., Labor Day is also used by many retailers as an opportunity to have sales—meaning that many retail workers have to work on the day despite its aim of honoring workers.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Labor Day?

• holiday
• weekend
• summer
• labor
• labor union
• labor movement
• strike
• workers
• demonstration
• Haymarket Square
• sale

Labor Day is often considered the unofficial end of summer in the U.S.

Labor Day events: Our guide to the essential events in the Bay Area this weekendhttps://t.co/027vmXDyIZ

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) August 29, 2019

If we celebrated Labor Day on May 1 when we should, American workers would get a lot more time to enjoy the good weather.

— Barry Crimmins (@crimmins) September 5, 2016

So why don’t y’all wear white after Labor Day? Cause I still do.

— Zájia Áni Nadal 🇵🇷🏳️‍🌈 (@ZajiaNadal) February 18, 2021

True or False?

Labor Day falls on September 6 every year.