For many Americans, today—Labor Day—is the end of summer. Some are enjoying their last picnics, barbecues, trip to the beach or other warm-weather outdoor activities of the season. Still others are taking advantage of “sales”* in department stores and online venues.
But this day wasn’t always a day of rest, relaxation or revelry. The first Labor Day was observed in New York City on 5 September 1882–interestingly, the day after Thomas Edison flipped the switch that turned on New York City’s first electric street lights—and the “Times” sign in what would become the eponymous square (known, at that time, as Longacre).
The earliest Labor Days, in contrast to more recent ones, were serious, sometimes solemn and even feisty occasions. They highlighted the terrible conditions under which many laborers—who included women and immigrants—worked.
Factory and business owners, understandably, used the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution to increase productivity—and profits. The more avaricious entrepreneurs also found opportunities to exploit workers. There was no minimum wage or overtime pay. Worse, there were no laws mandating safety or other standards in workplaces, and little if any recourse for injured or crippled workers.
The early Labor Days, therefore, were more likely to include rallies, protests and parades, like this one:
Unemployed workers, many of whom lost their jobs in the wake of the previous year’s stock market panic, descended on Washington for Labor Day 1894.
*—Too often, holiday sales are scams: Prices are jacked up before the holidays and the discounts simply bring prices back to, or near, earlier levels.
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