Labor Day, originally created by the trade-union movement to celebrate the rights of working people, has undergone significant changes over time. The New York Post has been a staunch supporter of this movement, with editor William Cullen Bryant stating in 1836 that depriving individuals of the right to associate for the sale of labor is equivalent to binding them to a master.
The first Labor Day parade in the United States took place in New York and was attended by 10,000 workers marching from City Hall to Union Square. Over the years, these parades and celebrations have grown in scale.
However, Labor Day has now become a day associated with sales, cookouts, and back-to-school preparations. The movement that gave birth to this holiday has become irrelevant to most Americans, resembling the medieval guilds that preceded it. Furthermore, it has often become a vehicle for protecting privileges rather than fighting for the rights of the oppressed.
In 1954, more than one in three US workers were union members. Today, that number stands at only 6% for private-sector workers, but a significant shift has occurred with over a third of public-sector workers being union members. This includes many “quasi-public” positions in sectors like healthcare.
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