Labor Day is different than other holidays around the world. Nor does it commemorate an important day in history in the way that Cinco de Mayo does for Mexico or Bastille Day does for France. All of this raises an interesting question: what is Labor Day exactly, and why do we celebrate it? For those living in the United States, the first Monday in September, Labor Day, is undoubtedly a highlight of the year—a three-day weekend marking the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.
At the same time, something about the day is bittersweet. June is long gone. July and August, too. Of course, none of the emotions described here have anything to do with the origin of Labor Day in the United States or other countries of the world.
Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. While most sources, including the U. Department of Labor, credit Peter McGuire with the origination of Labor Day, recent evidence suggests that the true father of Labor Day may, in fact, be another famous union leader of the 19th century, Matthew Maguire. Here are some other examples of deductions that may not bring employee wages below the federal minimum wage:.
For more information, see our site's page on deductions from pay. As previously explained, generally no. Items which would be considered to be for the benefit or convenience of the employer, and cannot be deducted if it would cause your salary to be reduced below the minimum wage , are:.
Employees may not be required to pay for any of the cost of such items if, by so doing, their wages would be reduced below the required minimum wage or overtime compensation.
This is true even if an economic loss suffered by the employer is due to your own negligent actions. If the service is voluntary, it could be considered primarily for the benefit of employees, which means that it is legal to deduct a fee from your wages, unless the fee would cause your pay to end up below the minimum wage. If the service is mandatory, it may not be deducted from your wages. If a worker is hurt on the job, the employer is responsible for all of that person's medical treatment, lost wages, vocational rehabilitation, and in the worst-case scenario, survivor benefits.
However, many employers who use day laborers do not pay into the workers' compensation system. If you are hired through an agency, the agency may be responsible for paying workers' compensation on behalf of its laborers. Some homeowners' insurance policies provide coverage when a homeowner hires a laborer for a job who is then injured while working on the premises. If you have been injured while working as a day laborer, and the employer refuses to take responsibility, you should talk with an attorney, community group, or legal services organization to find out what your rights are in this situation.
Often you may not have enough information about your employer to allow you to pursue any legal claims you might have. You should always take writing materials with you when you go to work so that you can write down the name and address of the employer, the address of the worksite, and as much additional information about the employer as possible. You also should keep a record of the date, time, and number of hours worked.
If you don't have that information, it may be difficult for you to pursue a legal claim against your employer, but you should talk with an attorney, community group, or legal services organization to make sure. There may be other workers who have faced similar problems with the same employer or agency, so the attorney or legal services organization may already have some of the information you would need to proceed with a legal claim against an employer or agency who consistently fails to pay its workers.
In most areas, it will be necessary to file a claim for your wages with a government agency or file a claim in small claims court, but in a few cities, it is a crime not to pay workers the wages they have earned.
The Workplace Fairness Attorney Directory features lawyers from across the United States who primarily represent workers in employment cases. Please note that Workplace Fairness does not operate a lawyer referral service and does not provide legal advice, and that Workplace Fairness is not responsible for any advice that you receive from anyone, attorney or non-attorney, you may contact from this site.
Find an Employment Attorney. Workplace Fairness is a non-profit organization working to preserve and promote employee rights. This site provides comprehensive information about job rights and employment issues nationally and in all 50 states. Lunch breaks? Paid vacation? An eight-hour workday?
Social security? Years of hard-fought battles and the ensuing legislation they inspired resulted in many of the most basic benefits we enjoy at our jobs today. One version is set in September with the Knights of Labor, the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations at the time.
McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor. McGuire suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for Labor Day because the weather is great at that time of year, and it falls between July 4th and Thanksgiving.
Oregon became the first U. On May 4, — at a time when most American laborers worked 18 or even 20 hours a day — tens of thousands of workers protested in cities all across the U. Police in Chicago attacked both those peaceful protests and a workers planning meeting two days later, randomly beating and shooting at the planning group and killing six.
When outraged Chicagoans attended an initially peaceful protest the next evening in Haymarket Square, police advanced on the crowd again. Someone who was never identified detonated a bomb that killed a police officer, leading cops to open fire on protesters and provoke violence that led to the deaths of about a dozen workers and police. Ironically, Chicago was also the setting for the bloody Pullman strike of , which catalyzed the establishment of an official Labor Day holiday in the U.
The strike happened in May in the company town of Pullman, Chicago, a factory location established by luxury railroad car manufacturer the Pullman Company. The inequality of the town was more than apparent. Company owner George Pullman lived in a mansion while most laborers stayed in barracks-style dormitories. These conditions ultimately led workers to strike on May 11, That national boycott would end up bringing the railroads west of Chicago to a standstill and led to , workers across 29 railroad companies quitting their jobs rather than breaking the boycott.
When the Chicago railroad companies hired strikebreakers as replacements, strikers also took various actions to stop the trains. The General Managers Association, which represented local railroad companies, countered by inducing U.
Attorney General Richard Olney, a former railroad attorney, to intervene. Indianapolis federal courts granted Olney an injunction against the strike, a move that allowed President Grover Cleveland to send in federal troops to break it up. So Cleveland harkened back to the first established September holiday and signed into law that Labor Day in the U. Communist and socialist factions worldwide eventually chose May 1 as the date to mark the Haymarket affair.
A conference issued a plea that trade unions stage rallies on the first day of May — demanding to make the eight-hour workday standard. Whether in the form of a leisurely barbeque, a relaxing swim in the pool, watching a film at a drive-in cinema, or even just relaxing at home with family, there are so many different ways to mark the occasion.
We list some activities to try on Labor Day. The first Monday of September officially becomes Labor Day, with the Central Labor Union pushing other organizations to follow suit and celebrate. Labor Day is approved as a national holiday by Congress, and President Grover Cleveland signs it into law. Much like Memorial Day , which marks the traditional beginning of summer, Labor Day generally signifies that the season has ended — even though the calendar says otherwise.
As far as U. Open in New York City. NFL regular-season games typically begin following Labor Day.
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