A Custom Companies newsletter celebrated Labor Day and the workers’ achievements enshrined by the holiday in America. The origins of the day reach back more than 100 years and have origins in the concept of International Association of Machinists Local 344 secretary, Matthew Maguire, who was employed in Paterson, New Jersey. This idea of a formal day to honor labor was adopted by the Central Labor Union and came to fruition on September 5, 1882.
The state of Oregon was the first to adopt a Labor Day holiday in 1887 and this was followed by several more states, to the point where the U.S. Congress made it a national holiday in 1894. The holiday continues to this day as a potent reminder of the strength of workers who together unite and create a productive workplace that embraces dignity and freedom.