The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.
By 1893, more than half the states were observing a "Labor Day" on one day or another, and Congress
passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894.
President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.
Who Are We Celebrating?
154.4 million
Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in May 2010.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
Employee Benefits
83%
Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during
all or part of 2008.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf
78%
Percentage of workers in private industry who receive a paid vacation as
one of their employment benefits.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical
Abstract of the United States: 2010 Table 640 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Original content Bob DeMarco, Look Beyond the Obvious
No comments:
Post a Comment