image courtesy wikicommons
On Monday, September 5th, the Garland County Library will be closed for Labor Day.
Embarrassingly enough, I was unaware, after all these years, the meaning behind Labor Day. As it turns out, the first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5th, 1882 by the Central Labor Union of New York, which was the first integrated major trade union (Labor Day is always celebrated on the first Monday of September).
Labor Day became a federal holiday under President Grover Cleveland in 1894 after the Pullman Strike.
What was the Pullman Strike? It was the bloodiest and most widely-known strike concerning the railroad. The "wildcat strike" (a strike not authorized by union superiors) originated in Pullman, Illinois after wages were reduced, and included some 3,000 workers, grinding the west side of Chicago to a halt. The number of strikers would grow to 250,000 spanning 27 states at its height.
The bloodbath began after tensions snapped like a rubber band. Companies began hiring strikebreakers, and black workers who feared for their jobs amidst the racial climate crossed the picket lines.
The Central Labor Union, whose leader, Eugene V. Debs (who sympathized and supported the strike), attempted a peaceful gathering in Blue Island, Illinois. Soon afterwards, strikers set fire to buildings and derailed a train. Throughout the United States, strikers and sympathizers began blocking trains, attacking workers, and walking off the job. It became out of hand and the country began asking for government assistance.
Because the strike caused disruptions with the U.S. Mail and threatened public safety, Grover Cleveland sent in 12,000 Army troops and an assortment of U.S. Marshals to take control of the increasingly wild strike.
After all was said and done, 13 strikers were dead and 57 were wounded. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage was caused by the strikers and sympathizers (nearly 9 billion dollars in today's economy).
Enjoy your Labor Day!
Embarrassingly enough, I was unaware, after all these years, the meaning behind Labor Day. As it turns out, the first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5th, 1882 by the Central Labor Union of New York, which was the first integrated major trade union (Labor Day is always celebrated on the first Monday of September).
Labor Day became a federal holiday under President Grover Cleveland in 1894 after the Pullman Strike.
What was the Pullman Strike? It was the bloodiest and most widely-known strike concerning the railroad. The "wildcat strike" (a strike not authorized by union superiors) originated in Pullman, Illinois after wages were reduced, and included some 3,000 workers, grinding the west side of Chicago to a halt. The number of strikers would grow to 250,000 spanning 27 states at its height.
The bloodbath began after tensions snapped like a rubber band. Companies began hiring strikebreakers, and black workers who feared for their jobs amidst the racial climate crossed the picket lines.
The Central Labor Union, whose leader, Eugene V. Debs (who sympathized and supported the strike), attempted a peaceful gathering in Blue Island, Illinois. Soon afterwards, strikers set fire to buildings and derailed a train. Throughout the United States, strikers and sympathizers began blocking trains, attacking workers, and walking off the job. It became out of hand and the country began asking for government assistance.
Because the strike caused disruptions with the U.S. Mail and threatened public safety, Grover Cleveland sent in 12,000 Army troops and an assortment of U.S. Marshals to take control of the increasingly wild strike.
After all was said and done, 13 strikers were dead and 57 were wounded. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage was caused by the strikers and sympathizers (nearly 9 billion dollars in today's economy).
Enjoy your Labor Day!
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