For a lot of people, Labor Day means two things: a day off and
the end of summer. But why is it called Labor Day? Labor Day is
a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has
been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States and
Canada since 1894. Labor unions themselves celebrated the first
labor days in the United States, although there's some
speculation as to exactly who came up with the idea. Most
historians credit Peter McGuire, general secretary of the
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the
American Federation of Labor, with the original idea of a day
for workers to show their solidarity. Others credit Matthew
Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International
Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J. The first Labor Day
parade occurred Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. The workers'
unions chose the first Monday in September because it was
halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. The idea
spread across the country, and some states de