As you grill up those steaks on the BBQ this weekend, here are some Holiday Facts you can chew the fat over.
Across North America it’s the last long weekend of the Summer; the holiday with the oxymoronic name of “Labour Day.”
The origins of the celebration in Canada are rooted in struggle.
Labour Day commemorates the birth of the “Nine-Hour Movement” in Hamilton in 1872.
Workers there had the radical idea that the length of the work day should be reduced from twelve hours to nine.
The movement spread quickly to Toronto, Montreal and Sarnia.
A chapter of the Nine Hour Movement was established in Perth County.
A demonstration of 1500 workers in Hamilton on May 15th of 1872 is regarded as Canada’s first Labour Day Parade.
While workers weren’t successful in achieving their goal, their efforts resulted in the founding of Canada’s first bona fide labour organizations.
The government of Canada recognized Labour Day as a holiday in 1894, but moved it to the first Monday in September to coincide with celebrations in the United States.
Today, just under one third of permanent full-time Canadian workers are members of unions.
Organized labour reminds Canadians that vested pensions, holidays with pay, workers’ compensation and even the two-day weekend are gains it has achieved on behalf of everyone.
