Labor Day “an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers” according to the Department of Labor (DOL). Some historians contend that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first to a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” Others believe that machinist Matthew Maguire started the holiday. The DOL notes, “Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.”
No matter it’s origin, it is now tradition for the first Monday of September to be celebrated as Labor Day. Here are some facts from the U.S. Census Bureau on the workforce the DOL says “constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country”:
- In July 2011, there were 153.2 million people 16 and older in the nation’s labor force.
- During all or part of 2009, 84.7 % of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance.
- There are 26.2 million female workers and 24.0 million male workers 16 and older in management, professional, and related occupations.
- There are 5.9 million people who work from home.
- There are 16.5 million commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. They represent 12.4 percent of all commuters.
- The average time it takes people to commute to work is 25.1 minutes. New York and Maryland had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.4 and 31.3 minutes. More than 3 million workers face extreme commutes of 90 or more minutes each day.