Monday Open Line (Labor Day)


In 1882, Matthew Maguire, a machinist, first proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the CLU (Central Labor Union) of New York.[2] Others argue that it was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882,[3] after witnessing the annual labor festival held in Toronto, Canada.[4]

Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.[3] Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with Reyes[clarification needed], leader of the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday; Cleveland signed it into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[5] The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation’s trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers’ Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would be associated with the nascent Communist, Syndicalist and Anarchist movements that, though distinct from one another, had rallied to commemorate the Haymarket Affair in International Workers’ Day.[6] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.

Read more:  wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day


Today is Labor Day — a pause from the regular routine to honor the nation’s working men and women. It’s also the traditional end of the summer season, an occasion marked by parades, picnics, and family gatherings. The far-north city of Nome, Alaska, hosts two unusual events today. One is the 35th annual Great Bathtub Race, in which four team members push bathtubs on wheels, with a fifth person in the water filled tub. Over at the power plant, spectators will be watching as thousands of plastic ducks arrive on the Snake River, having negotiated miles of twists and turns in the 20th annual Duck Race. These events will be the last summer fling for Nome’s 3,600 residents, part of Alaska’s population of 710,000. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sunday, September 2nd. Beginning tomorrow for a week, the potato is the honored guest at the 47th annual Potato Bowl in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The celebration includes the world’s largest french fry feed, a parade, entertainment, and a football game between North Dakota and Portland State. Like many of our citizens, the potato is an immigrant, coming from the Andes Mountains in South America. Once within our borders, the potato quickly climbed to the pinnacle of success. Every year, each of us consumes just over 36 pounds of potatoes in all forms — from baked to potato chips, and in answer to the question “Do you want fries with that?” You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy from the American Community Survey at <www.census.gov>.

Saturday, September 1st. North America’s largest urban arts festival opens today and runs through Monday in Seattle. The festival’s name — Bumbershoot — is an old slang word for “umbrella,” and refers not only to Seattle’s reputation for rain, but the festival’s goal of presenting the widest possible range of art and performances. This is Bumbershoot’s 42nd annual festival, and 100,000 people are expected to sample its unique blend of music, film, comedy, dance, and theater. Performers range from Tony Bennett to local favorites. The festival fills the 74-acre Seattle Center in the heart of the city of just over 600,000 residents. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.