Community Corner

Today in St. Charles: It's Labor Day

The holiday honoring American workers has been around since 1882, although it did not become a national holiday until 1894.

For many, Labor Day — the first Monday in September — is a day off work or a day away from school. But did you know that Labor Day actually had its start in the nation’s labor movement?


Labor Day is a day to honor American workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Labor Day history page.


The holiday first was recognized at the government level in the mid-1880s, when cities and towns passed ordinances to honor workers. In fact, the first Labor Day was a municipal celebration in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882.

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That led to state legislation — Oregon was the first state to pass legislation honoring laborers in 1887. That triggered similar laws in other states and ultimately culminated with Congress passing an act in 1894 setting the first Monday in September as Labor Day, a legal holiday, according to the Department of Labor.


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