It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the unofficial start of summer. It’s hard to believe it’s now time for its unofficial end with the Labor Day Holiday held on the first Monday in September. Here’s hoping everyone enjoyed some time to relax, enjoyed the outdoors, and spent some time with family and friends creating another year of great memories.
Labor Day dates back to the late 1800’s and is a day set aside for honoring American workers. While it may seem like we work harder than ever with constant connectivity allowing us to work from home, in cars, at offices, and at any time of the day or night, in the late 1800s the average American worked 12-hour days, seven days a week just to make a basic living. Children as young as 5-6 years old worked in factories and mines. As the trade unions and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to recognize both the contributions and the mistreatment of workers.
Although our typically recognized 8 hour workday was not firmly established until the passage of the Adamson Act in 1916 which was the first federal law regulating work hours in private companies, the first U.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, planned by the Central Labor Union. The Labor Day parade of about 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched from City Hall past Union Square uptown to 42nd Street and ended in Wendel’s Elm Park at 92nd Street and 9th Avenue for a concert, speeches, and a picnic. Twelve years later in 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. Now we celebrate each Labor Day enjoying a day at the beach, a picnic, shopping, going to the movies, or taking a good nap. While summer is not really over, Labor Day marks the end of the summer season and for many the start of a new school year and returning to a busier work schedule.
This Labor Day, let’s take time to enjoy that extra day off, but also let’s remember all the workers who built this country into a great nation and give thanks for all their sacrifices and hard work. When we think about working hard, it’s difficult to comprehend a day when there were no laws protecting workers and establishing certain rights in the workforce regarding long working hours, safe working conditions, and protections from discrimination. From our Family at the Law Firm of DiOrio & Sereni, LLP to yours – best wishes for a safe and happy Labor Day!
The Law Firm of DiOrio & Sereni, LLP is a full-service law firm in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. We strive to help people, businesses and institutions throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania solve legal problems – and even prevent legal problems before they occur. To learn more about the full range of our specific practice areas, please visit www.dioriosereni.com or contact Scott C. Gottel, Esquire at 610-565-5700 or at [email protected].
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