Meaning of Labor Day: What is celebrated on Labor Day?

What is Labor Day:

Labor Day, also known as International Workers' Day, is celebrated on May 1 almost everywhere in the world. It is a celebration of the world labor movement in commemoration of their social and labor struggles.

May Day, as it is also called, is considered a day to demand labor claims or make improvements to workers' conditions.

It was declared as a commemorative date at the Workers Congress of the Second Socialist International, held in Paris in 1889, in recognition of the Chicago martyrs.

Today, this day is commemorated in practically the entire world, although, paradoxically, in the United States, where it originated, its equivalent celebration, Labor Day , is celebrated on the first Monday in September.

Today, the festivities for May Day are considered the origin of the modern labor movement.

Labor Day History

The Chicago martyrs are the origin of the May 1 commemoration. They were some anarchist-oriented union leaders who mobilized the workers to demand that the workday be reduced to eight hours.

In the United States, in those years, working hours could be extended to 18 continuous hours, since the company or employer was fined only when they exceeded that limit without just cause.

The workers, however, considered this to be unfair, and asked for the reduction to an eight-hour day, in which the employee could use the rest of his time at rest (eight hours) and with the family, chores and leisure (eight hours).

Thus, in 1886, the workers threatened to start a strike if the employers did not grant the request. The strike started on May 1.

In Chicago, one of the cities with the largest workforce in the country and where working conditions were precarious, the strike lasted for several days, there were clashes between police and protesters, several deaths and dozens of injuries.

At Haymarket Square in Chicago, on May 4, the tension reached a peak. An explosive device exploded, there were dozens of arrests and injuries. Among the detainees, eight were found guilty, and of these, five went to prison and three were sentenced to death.

They were baptized as the Chicago martyrs, for their sacrifice in the fight for the labor demands of the labor movement. The first day of May is dedicated to them.

Finally, the employers' sectors were able to agree to implement the eight-hour workday, which lasts until today in much of the western world.