Labor Day

I got this friendly reminder from my workplace about Labor Day. I guess they don’t want me to forget and come to work when I shouldn’t be there! The notice includes a little bit of history about Labor Day:

“This is your friendly reminder that we are closed Monday, September 7th in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Please inform all neighbors, friends, and partners with whom you work.

A little Labor Day history:

The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union of New York City sought to create "a day off for the working citizens." Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, two months after the May Day Riots of 1894. May 4 was chosen to remember the Haymarket Affair. All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

Thank you for your hard work each day. Have a great weekend!”

The Haymarket Riots were an important event in American history, but they are little remembered now. Here’s Wikipedia’s summary of the incident:

“The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket riot or Haymarket massacre) was a disturbance that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, [this appears to be the correct date] at the Haymarket Square [4] in Chicago, and began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight police officers and an unknown number of civilians.[5] [6] In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder. Four were put to death, and one committed suicide in prison.”