Labor Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement.  The day recognizes the social and economic contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.  Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states.  After the passage of municipal ordinances in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation.

The first Labor Day was observed on September 5, 1882 in New York City, organized by the Central Labor Union.  In 1887, Oregon became the first state to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York later that year.  By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.  The labor movement brought us the forty-hour workweek, sick days, paid time off, and more.  Today is an opportunity to remember the efforts of those who fought tirelessly for our rights as workers.