Comment Americans often do things a little differently than the rest of the world. We measure differently (imperial vs. metric), write the date differently (month-day-year vs. day-month-year), and fill our cups with massive amounts of ice (a less economical but arguably more enjoyable way to drink). We also celebrate workers and the labor movement on a completely different day than most of the world: Labor Day vs. May Day. This is especially strange when you consider that both days started right here in the United States. So how did one spread elsewhere while the other became a federal holiday here? Labor Day came first, but its origins are disputed, according to a widely cited 1982 paper by Theodore Watts. Some say it was the brainchild of a respected union leader, Peter McGuire, at an 1882 meeting of the New York Central Labor Union. Others credit Matthew Maguire, also a respected union leader and member of the New York Central Labor Union, but with a reputation for radicalism. Watts and others suggest that after Labor Day became a big deal, unionists credited McGuire instead of Maguire in the original story to keep any hints of radicalism at bay. The first Columbus Day was born out of violence and political calculation In any case, someone suggested a parade and picnic to celebrate workers and unions at a meeting in New York in 1882. Tickets for the march were sold to male union members for 25 cents each, while women and children marched free. Although the event was designed primarily by Irish immigrants, the advertisements were translated into German. Alcohol was banned. It was scheduled for September 5, a Tuesday, meaning most of the protesters are skipping work. Divisions came from Jersey City, Brooklyn, Harlem and other areas and assembled on Canal Street. More than 20,000 people marched up Broadway to Bryant Park, just under three miles, holding banners and singing songs about the eight-hour workday and other union demands. The protesters then went on a picnic in Wendel’s Elm Park, a private park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. There were even more people and more unions there at the picnic. There were 15 daily newspapers in the city at the time, and coverage of the event was mostly glowing. It went so well that the organizers decided to do it again next September. Within a few years, it had spread to other states and cities and moved to the first Monday in September. Now for May Day. There was already a May Day holiday with ancient origins — think flower crowns and swimsuits — but national labor organizers didn’t have that in mind in 1884 when they set May 1, 1886 as the deadline for businesses to grant their workers an eight-hour day. As the day approached, unions across the country were preparing for a general strike. On that day, somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 workers were on strike nationwide. In Chicago, the strikers tended to be more radical socialists and anarchists, and their protests continued after others had gone home. On May 3, police fired into a crowd of strikers, killing two. Outraged, people gathered in Haymarket Square the next day and in the ensuing riot 12 people were killed, eight of them policemen. The following year, unions organized a commemoration of the Haymarket events on May 1, and by 1889, the Second International—a world conference of socialists—proclaimed International Workers’ Day, although it is mostly called May Day. Both May Day and Labor Day have been celebrated in the United States by various labor groups for years, although the former has had a reputation for being more political, more radical, and less joyous than the latter. For this reason, Labor Day was always more popular with lawmakers, and more than 20 states had made it a state holiday by 1894. A gay first lady? We already had one. Here are her love letters. Making it a federal holiday was not high on the list for President Grover Cleveland. In 1894, he focused on the recession and the idea of running for a third term. And then there was the headache of the Pullman strike, a long and bitter strike centered in Chicago and threatening the nation’s already battered economy. As Cleveland prepared to crack down on the strikers, he pushed a Labor Day bill through Congress and signed it into law on June 28. Most historians agree that it was largely an attempt to concede something to the labor movement while softening the power of the more radical May Day crowd. A few days later, Cleveland ordered federal troops into Chicago as the strikers turned violent. On July 17, National Guard troops fired into the crowd, killing up to 30 people. When the first federally recognized Labor Day rolled out that September, workers and labor unions were undeterred. Only federal employees were allowed.
