From barbecues to getaways to shopping the sales, many people across the U.S. mark Labor Day — the federal holiday celebrating the American worker — by finding ways to relax.
This year is the 130th anniversary of the holiday, which is celebrated on the first Monday of September. While actions by unions in recent years to advocate for workers are a reminder of the holiday's activist roots, the three-day weekend it creates has become a touchstone in the lives of Americans marking the unofficial end of summer. Here's what to know about Labor Day: How did Labor Day become a federal holiday? Its origins date back to the late 19th century, when activists first sought to establish a day to pay tribute to workers.
The first Labor Day celebration in the U.S. took place in New York City on Sept.
5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers marched in a parade organized by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor. People are also reading..
. Workers were seeing their quality of life decline as they transitioned from artisan to factory jobs, even as the quality of life of factory owners was "just skyrocketing," said Todd Vachon, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. In the years that followed, a handful of cities and states began to adopt laws recognizing Labor Day.
President Grover Cleveland signed a congressional act in 1894 making it a federal holiday. That was the same year that workers for the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike after the railcar-maker cut wages without reducing rent in the company-owned town where workers lived near Chicago, Vachon said. Over 12 workers were killed after Cleveland sent federal troops to crush the strike, he said.
Cleveland's move to establish Labor Day as a federal holiday is seen by some historians as a way for him "to make peace" with the working class after that, Vachon said. Heavy traffic heads south on I-93 over the Zakim Bridge in Boston ahead of last year's Labor Day weekend. Many take advantage of the holiday weekend for end-of-summer getaways.
Michael Dwyer, Associated Press What do Americans do over Labor Day weekend? For the three-day weekend created by Labor Day, travelers pack airports and highways for end-of-summer escapes, and backyard chefs prepare cookouts for family and friends. Barbecuing has been a part of Labor Day celebrations from the start, said Robert F. Moss, food writer, culinary historian and author of "Barbecue: The History of an American Institution.
" He said it was already such an entrenched tradition in the U.S. that when the labor movements developed in the late 19th century, it was natural to way to celebrate as large groups gathered.
In the 20th century, the holiday's barbecues moved more toward gatherings of friends and family in backyards, he said. "It still has a lot of that same communal sense, gathering around the grill, eating together," he said. Vachon said that whether the origins of the labor movement are on one's mind while celebrating depends on whether they live somewhere with a large union presence.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack In Chicago, a parade and festival are held over Labor Day weekend in what is now the Pullman neighborhood, home of the holiday's roots. Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said the parade and festival they host brings in union members and their families from all over the area. Beachgoers enjoyed the sunny and hot day during Labor Day weekend in 2020 at Sunny Isles Beach in Florida.
David Santiago, Miami Herald How has the labor movement evolved over the decades? When Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, unions in the U.S. were largely contested and courts would often rule strikes illegal, leading to violent disputes, Vachon said.
It wasn't until the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 that private sector employees were granted the right to join unions. Later into the 20th century, states also began passing legislation to allow unionization in the public sector. But even today, not all states allow collective bargaining for public workers.
In recent years, Vachon said, there's been a resurgence in labor organizing, activism, interest and support. "A lot of the millennial and Gen Z folks are coming into the labor market in a period that's not a lot different from that period in the 1880s where there was a lot of labor unrest," Vachon said. "Jobs just don't pay enough for people to achieve the American dream.
" United Auto Workers members walk in the 2023 Labor Day parade in Detroit. Paul Sancya, Associated Press What's the connection between fashion and Labor Day? The adage that one shouldn't wear white after Labor Day is a "rule" that's broken with very fashionable results, but where did it originate? Fashion experts say it likely goes back to the Gilded Age — the same period in the late 1800s that spawned Labor Day. The cool, white frocks worn by wealthy New Yorkers during their summers in places such as Newport, Rhode Island, would be packed away on their end-of-summer return to the city with its dirt-packed streets.
Christy Crutsinger, a professor in merchandising and digital retailing at University of North Texas, heard the adage from generations of women in her family. But "the fashion world's not working that way anymore," she added. "People think it, say it, but don't abide by it," she said.
With back-to-school shopping and a switch by many business people from a more relaxed summer dress code, fashion is on the mind of many around Labor Day, said Daniel James Cole, adjunct assistant professor in fashion history at the Fashion Institute of Technology and co-author of "The History of Modern Fashion." The holiday, he said, "is kind of this hinge" between summertime dress and fun to going "back to more serious pursuits." ___ Where U.
S. residents are experiencing the most financial instability Where U.S.
residents are experiencing the most financial instability Inflation has hurt Americans financially in different ways, with the U.S. Census Bureau reporting that up to 45.
8% of some households are having difficulty paying for essentials. In particular, inflation has put some Americans at higher risk for financial instability. With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked U.
S. states according to where residents are struggling most financially. Data measures poverty rates, food insecurity, housing insecurity and elements of unemployment and unemployment benefits.
Key findingsLouisiana residents hurt the most financially for two consecutive years. The Bayou State residents have the most food insecurity, with 17.8% of the population not having enough food in the house to eat.
At 18.6%, they also have the second-highest rate of poverty. Unemployment is also relatively high at 4.
2%, and 36.6% of residents are in danger of foreclosure or being evicted. Tennessee ranked second for residents hurting financially.
This was in large part dueto rampant housing and food insecurity, which were respectively second- and third-worst studywide at 50.5% and 17.8%.
19.1% of Mississippi residents are in poverty. Ranking third overall, Mississippi has the highest poverty rate nationwide.
The average poverty rate across all states is 12.4%. On the other end of the spectrum, New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate at 7.
2%.California has the highest unemployment rate. With the rate the same as it was two years ago, 5.
3% of the Golden State's labor force is unemployed. And the rate at which unemployment benefits make up for residents' wages is also sixth-lowest at 28.2%.
New Mexico residents face the most food scarcity. A whopping 57.6% of New Mexicans report not having enough food to eat in the house over the past week, putting the state in eighth place overall.
Carlos M. Silva // Shutterstock Key findings 10 places where residents are hurting most financially LouisianaPoverty rate: 18.6%Unemployment rate, 2024: 4.
2%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.1%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 29.9%Housing insecurity: 36.
6%Food scarcity: 17.8%TennesseePoverty rate: 13.3%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
3%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.1%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 27.2%Housing insecurity: 50.
5%Food scarcity: 15.6%MississippiPoverty rate: 19.1%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
1%Two-year change in unemployment: -1.4%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 29.9%Housing insecurity: 33.
1%Food scarcity: 15.4%AlaskaPoverty rate: 11.0%Unemployment rate, 2024: 4.
6%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.7%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 26.7%Housing insecurity: 48.
3%Food scarcity: 12.1%OklahomaPoverty rate: 15.7%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
6%Two-year change in unemployment: 1.0%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 42.6%Housing insecurity: 43.
4%Food scarcity: 15.6%GeorgiaPoverty rate: 12.7%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
1%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.1%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 29.0%Housing insecurity: 41.
2%Food scarcity: 12.1%ArizonaPoverty rate: 12.5%Unemployment rate, 2024: 4.
1%Two-year change in unemployment: 0.5%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 30.2%Housing insecurity: 35.
8%Food scarcity: 11.5%New MexicoPoverty rate: 17.6%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
9%Two-year change in unemployment: -1.7%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 41.3%Housing insecurity: 57.
6%Food scarcity: 9.3%FloridaPoverty rate: 12.7%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
1%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.2%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 26.4%Housing insecurity: 36.
1%Food scarcity: 11.3%AlabamaPoverty rate: 16.2%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
0%Two-year change in unemployment: 0.0%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 29.8%Housing insecurity: 26.
7%Food scarcity: 12.0%10 places where residents are most financially soundHawaiiPoverty rate: 10.2%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
1%Two-year change in unemployment: -1.1%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 49.3%Housing insecurity: 22.
3%Food scarcity: 5.7%North DakotaPoverty rate: 11.5%Unemployment rate, 2024: 2.
0%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.9%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 48.0%Housing insecurity: 16.
7%Food scarcity: 7.6%MainePoverty rate: 10.8%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
4%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.6%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 45.9%Housing insecurity: 17.
2%Food scarcity: 7.6%IowaPoverty rate: 11.0%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
0%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.5%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 45.7%Housing insecurity: 19.
1%Food scarcity: 8.7%VermontPoverty rate: 10.4%Unemployment rate, 2024: 2.
3%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.6%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 47.6%Housing insecurity: 32.
4%Food scarcity: 8.1%UtahPoverty rate: 8.2%Unemployment rate, 2024: 2.
8%Two-year change in unemployment: 0.7%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 43.9%Housing insecurity: 14.
1%Food scarcity: 10.9%MassachusettsPoverty rate: 10.4%Unemployment rate, 2024: 2.
9%Two-year change in unemployment: -1.8%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 43.3%Housing insecurity: 28.
9%Food scarcity: 8.4%MinnesotaPoverty rate: 9.6%Unemployment rate, 2024: 2.
7%Two-year change in unemployment: 0.0%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 44.5%Housing insecurity: 23.
7%Food scarcity: 9.2%ColoradoPoverty rate: 9.4%Unemployment rate, 2024: 3.
5%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.5%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 42.8%Housing insecurity: 21.
9%Food scarcity: 8.4%DelawarePoverty rate: 9.4%Unemployment rate, 2024: 4.
0%Two-year change in unemployment: -0.6%Unemployment benefits replacement rate: 42.2%Housing insecurity: 21.
1%Food scarcity: 8.2%Data and MethodologyTo find the states where residents are financially hurting most, SmartAsset analyzed six metrics for U.S.
states.Poverty rate. This is the percentage of residents living below the poverty line.
Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 1-year American Community Survey.
Unemployment rate. Data is for February 2024 and comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics.Two-year change in unemployment rate.
This is the two-year percentage point difference between the February 2024 unemployment rate and February 2022 unemployment rate. Data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics.Unemployment benefit replacement rate.
This is the ratio of the average unemployment benefit received to the average worker's weekly salary. Data comes from the U.S.
Department of Labor and is annual for 2023.Percentage of adults experiencing recent housing insecurity. This is the percentage of households not current on rent or mortgage where eviction or foreclosure in the next two months is either very likely or somewhat likely.
Data comes from the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Respondents were surveyed from March 5, 2024 through April 1, 2024.Percentage of adults experiencing recent food insufficiency.
This is the percentage of adults in households where there was either sometimes or often not enough to eat in the last seven days. Data comes from the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Respondents were surveyed from March 5, 2024 through April 1, 2024.
The following metrics were half-weighted: unemployment rate and two-year change in the unemployment rate. This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. SmartAsset 10 places where residents are most financially sound Data and Methodology Where U.
S. residents are experiencing the most financial instability Stay up-to-date on what's happening.
