Stephen Koppekin, a consultant specializing in labor negotiations, provides a brief history about Labor Day through this infographic.

1. I N T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S
T H E H I S T O R Y O F L A B O R D A Y
The first governmental recognition
of Labor Day came through
municipal ordinances, which are
rules, regulations, and codes
enacted into law by the local
government.
The first state to enact Labor
Day was passed in Oregon.
Four more states followed that
year to enact the holiday —
Colorado, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, and New York.
By the end of the decade,
Connecticut, Nebraska, and
Pennsylvania enacted the law.
In 1894, twenty-three other
states adopted the holiday.
Congress passed an act making the first Monday in
September of each year a legal holiday.
F e b r u a r y 21, 1887
1887
1889
1894
J u n e 28, 1894
1885-1886
In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, Americans worked 12-hour days for 7 days a
week to make a decent living. The working conditions weren’t safe, employees weren’t
given proper breaks, and factories weren’t very sanitary. The working life for an
American didn’t always consist of 40-hour workweeks and two day weekends, but
Labor Day marks the celebrations of overcoming those challenges.