Labor Day 2024: Is Labor Day a national holiday in the United States?
Americans will celebrate Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 2 to honor and recognize the contributions of workers in the country. Is it a national holiday?
Unlike other countries, the United States celebrates Labor Day in September, on the first Monday of the month. This year, it is commemorated on Monday, Sept. 2. Is it an official holiday?
The United States recognizes 11 holidays from New Year’s Day to Christmas Day, and Labor Day is one of them. In 1882, early American labor unions proposed creating a holiday to recognize workers’ contributions to the country, but it was not until 1894 that Congress recognized Labor Day as an official holiday.
Because it is a federal holiday, by law, government offices must close. Other establishments, such as schools, businesses, banks and supermarkets, decide whether or not to be open for business.
Banks, post offices, the stock exchange, and schools are generally closed, but pharmacies and restaurants often remain open. As for supermarkets, most are open for business, except for Costco.
READ ALSO: Costco’s Labor Day shopping schedule
READ ALSO: Enjoy restaurant deals on Labor Day
Why is Labor Day celebrated in September and not in May?
International Workers’ Day is celebrated on May 1st. More than 150 countries recognize their workers and hold celebrations on that date. However, in the United States, it is celebrated in September.
According to the Department of Labor, the origin of the holiday is not entirely clear. Some sources say Matthew Maguire proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the New York Central Labor Union. Others argue that Peter J. Mcguire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested a holiday for the working classes in 1882.
The first observance of the day for workers in the U.S. was the Labor Day parade in New York City on September 5, 1882. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland made it a federal holiday.
Labor Day was set for the first Monday in September because it was considered a more politically neutral date than May 1, whose origins date back to the Haymarket Riot in Chicago, Illinois.
Some sources say the holiday was established in September so as “not to reinforce the revolutionary and socialist character” of the origin of the commemoration, while others say it was to shorten the long gap that existed between the July 4 holiday and Thanksgiving, which is celebrated in November.