Labor Day is here and for many growing up, this holiday has been a farewell to summer with picnics or BBQ's and the end of wearing white. However, workers who wanted to celebrate their social and economic achievements in America helped create Labor Day. According to the United States Department of Labor, the first Monday in September constitutes a tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Sen. James Henderson Kyle of South Dakota introduced S. 730 to the 53rd Congress to make Labor Day a legal holiday on the first Monday of September each year. On June 28, 1894, Congress passed the act.

The founding father of Labor Day is not without controversy. The Department of Labor says there are records showing Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor started the movement. However, others believe Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

The tradition of not wearing white after Labor Day dates back to the Victorian Era where it was unfashionable to don white clothing after summer ended. The tradition is no longer followed, but this article at EmilyPost.com explains the logic – white indicated you were still in vacation mode.

According to the Constitution Daily, Labor Day is also the unofficial end of Hot Dog season. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council say that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat seven billion hot dogs.

Niles, Ohio claims to be the home of the man who invented the Hot Dog, as we know it. Inventor and businessman Harry Stevens is credited with inventing the hot dog, the baseball scorecard, and the drinking straw. 

How many people are union members today? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 14.6 million union members in the work force in 2014. There were 17.7 million in 1983. The largest union today is the National Education Association that has close to three million members including inactive and lifetime members. 

Photo credits:First photo: children standing on machines: Childlabor.png - Photo two: Hostess with the Mostess -Photo three: Childlabor.png - Photo four: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council