LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating Labor Day, Monday, September 5,
2011, in the State of New York

WHEREAS, Working Americans are the foundation of our Nation's continued
economic success and prosperity; and
WHEREAS, Labor Day is our Nation's official commemoration of its work-
ers' contributions to national strength, prosperity and well-being; this
observance was created by the labor movement in the late 19th Century
and became a federal holiday in 1894; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate Labor
Day, Monday, September 5, 2011, in the State of New York; traditionally
marking the end of summer, Labor Day is celebrated in the United States
on the first Monday of each September; and
WHEREAS, During the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revo-
lution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days
and seven-day weeks in order to earn a basic living; and
WHEREAS, Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as
five or six years-old, worked in mills, factories and mines across the
country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts' wages; and
WHEREAS, People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent
immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insuf-
ficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks; and
WHEREAS, As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the
wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first
appeared in the late 18th Century, grew more prominent and vocal; they
began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and
compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay; and
WHEREAS, Many of these events turned violent during this period,
including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago
policemen and workers were killed; others gave rise to long-standing
traditions: on September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to
march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first
Labor Day parade in United States history; and
WHEREAS, The idea of a "workingmen's holiday" caught on in other
industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legis-
lation recognizing it; and
WHEREAS, The United States Congress would not legalize the holiday
until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history
brought workers' rights squarely into the public's view; and
WHEREAS, On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company
in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union
representatives; on June 26th, the American Railroad Union, led by
Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crip-
pling railroad traffic nationwide; and
WHEREAS, To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops
to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of
more than a dozen workers; in the wake of this massive unrest and in an
attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act
making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the
territories; and
WHEREAS, More than 100 years later, the true founder of Labor Day has
yet to be identified; many credit Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the
American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew
Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the
holiday; and

WHEREAS, Today, Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns
across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks
displays and other public gatherings; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body, representing the
people from the State of New York, to recognize and commend national
observances which display the well-deserved respect of our American
workforce and praises its strong contributions to the continued success
of our Nation's economy, embodying the spirit of the principles upon
which this Nation was founded; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 2011, in the State of New
York.