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 “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?
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153.2 million
Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in July 2011.
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Employee Benefits
84.7%
Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2009.
Working at home
5.9 million
The number of people who work from home.
11+ hours
About 11 percent of those who worked at home for some or all of their workweek reported working 11 or more hours in a typical day in 2005. Only about 7 percent of workers who worked outside the home reported doing so.
Another Day, Another Dollar
$47,127 and $36,278
The 2009 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively.
Hot Jobs
53%
Projected percentage growth from 2008 to 2018 in the number of network systems and data communication analysts. Forecasters expect this occupation to grow at a faster rate than any other. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is registered nurses (581,500).
Early, Lonely and Long — the Commute to Work
16.5 million
Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. They represent 12.4 percent of all commuters.
25.1 minutes
The average time it takes people in the nation to commute to work. New York and Maryland had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.4 and 31.3 minutes. (They are not significantly different from each another.)
3.2 million
Number of workers who face extreme commutes to work of 90 or more minutes each day.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 Survey of Income and Program Participation, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009
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