Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.


Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.


(source:  US Department of Labor)

Missouri Unemployment Stats

JUNE 08
Total Labor Force - 3,073,280
Total Employment - 2,888,644
Total Unemployment - 184,636
Unemployment Rate - 6%
June 07 Unemployment Rate - 4.8%

MAY O8
Total Labor Force - 3,034,096
Total Employment - 2,861,426
Total Unemployment - 172,670
Unemployment Rate - 5.7%

(source: Missouri Dept. of Economic Development)

Who Are We Celebrating?
151 million -Number of people age 16 or older in the nation's labor force in May 2006.
Among the nation's workers are 81.2 million men and 69.8 million women.
(source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
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These local companies salute their employees for their hard work and dedication all year long.