First celebrated in New York in 1882, Labor Day began as a parade to honor the working class. From the beginning, the celebration proved a favorite. Over the next decade, similar Labor Day celebrations began cropping up across the United States. In fact, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts even passed laws declaring Labor Day a state holiday. In 1894, the U.S. Congress followed suit. Just 12 years after New York held the first Labor Day parade, Congress declared the first Monday of each September a national holiday in honor of the working class. Canada also celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday of September. While many people do get Labor Day as an official holiday there are still plenty of people who work the day. Service industry employees are usually very busy on most holidays. Maintenance employees may still be required to work as well.
