Labor Day Factoids

I hope everyone enjoyed an extra day off this week! I know I did. Here are some interesting facts about Labor Day...

• The first Labor Day observance is believed to have been September 5, 1882. A parade of 10,000 workers in New York City marked the occasion. The parade was organized by Peter J. McGuire the secretary of the Carpenters and Joiners Union
• By 1893, more than half of the states were observing Labor Day in some way or another. Celebrations took place on different days.
• In 1894, Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday and designated the first Monday in September as the official Labor Day. President Glover Cleveland signed the bill into law.

For other Labor Day facts, go to http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/20070903_laborday.htm.