Labor Day

Work in America: history, facts, statistics, and leaders

Compiled by Information Please

Related Links The History of Labor Day Labor Day by the Numbers—from the U.S. Census Notable Labor Leaders Abel, Iorwith Wilbur Cameron, Andrew Carr Chavez, Cesar Chavez-Thompson, Linda Donahue, Thomas R. Dubinsky, David Fraser, Douglas Andrew Gompers, Samuel Green, William Hillman, Sidney Hoffa, James Riddle Huerta, Dolores Jones, Mary Harris "Mother" Kirkland, Lane Lewis, John Llewellyn Meany, George Murray, Philip Petrillo, James Caesar Powderly, Terence Vincent Quill, Michael Joseph Randolph, Asa Philip Reuther, Walter Philip Schneiderman, Rose Sweeney, John Joseph Wilson, William Bauchop Woodcock, Leonard Freel

Labor Day History

The Labor Day holiday as we know it grew out of the efforts of labor unions over a century ago. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, records indicate the holiday was first proposed in the late 19th century. Two men are credited with the original idea: Peter J. McGuire, a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, and Matthew Maguire, a machinist and secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

Earnings

• Median Income of Households
• Household Income by Race
• Per Capita Personal Income
• More on... Poverty and Income

• Earnings of Selected Occupations
• Federal Minimum Wage Rates
• Median Four-Person Family Income
• More on... Labor and Employment

• Earnings by Race and Sex
• Women's Earnings as a Percentage of Men's
• More on... the Wage Gap

• More on... Education

• The Equal Pay Act

Employment and Wages

• State Unemployment Compensation
• Federal Minimum Wage Rates, 1955–2005
• State Minimum Wage Rates
• 10 Occupations with the Highest Median Earnings
• Occupations with Highest Median Weekly Earnings Among Women
• Fastest Growing Occupations
• Industries with the Fastest Wage and Salary Employment Growth
• Labor Force Diversity
• Persons in the Labor Force
• Youth Employment Trends
• More on... Labor and Employment

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Employment Status of Persons with Disabilities
• Leading Occupations of Employed Women
• Mothers Participating in Labor Force

Labor Unions

• Timeline: Labor Unions
• History: Labor Unions
• National Labor Organizations with Membership over 100,000
• Union Affiliation of Employed Wage and Salary Workers
• Union Membership by Occupation
• More on... Labor Unions

• American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
• International Ladies Garment Workers Union
• Teamsters Union