Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 after 23 states had adopted it | Kulick

Well here we all are, at the unofficial end of summer. Poof! Eight months of 2024 already. Time does fly! This holiday weekend celebrates Labor Day, which this year celebrates its 130th anniversary.

The Department of Labor (DOL) identifies the holiday as that “observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.”

Digging back into the history of the day, DOL explains it as having been celebrated by various states before becoming a national holiday. Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation.

New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, on Feb. 21, 1887. During 1887, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday, which President Grover Cleveland signed.

How the holiday is celebrated today by Americans is easy to see just watching the news and the reports of long lines in the airports and travel conditions, squeezing in those final summer trips. And, of course the traditional backyard barbecue (BBQ).

With cooler weather and not too soon, I hope, the change of green leaves to vibrant colors, this holiday weekend rounds out the summer season. Here’s to a safe and memorable weekend spent with family and friends!

Debbie Kulick is an EMT who writes a weekly news column for the Pocono Record.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 after 23 states had adopted it | Kulick