Facts about Labor Day

New York has the highest union membership rate at 24.7 percent; South Carolina has the lowest rate at 2.1 percent Labor Day Facts

About 75 percent of Americans say they plan to keep working after age 65 Labor Day Facts

The United States has no statutory minimum paid vacation or paid public holidays. The decision is left with employers to offer any such benefits. Labor Day Facts

214 million Americans (67 percent) plan to grill out this year on Labor Day while 115 million Americans (36 percent) plan to watch a movie at a theater or at home Labor Day Facts

Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday in 1887 Labor Day Facts

President Grover Cleveland and the U.S. Congress made Labor Day a national holiday in 1894 Labor Day Facts

In many other countries, May Day (May 1st) is the day working people are honored, though the date of 1 May was chosen because the American Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demanded an eight-hour workday, to come in effect as of 1 May 1886 Labor Day Facts

By the time the holiday was officially signed in law by President Grover Cleveland in 1894, 23 states already had their own celebrations Labor Day Facts

A fashion tradition is never to wear white after Labor day. White clothing is usually worn in the summer to keep cool and Labor Day marks the end of summer. Labor Day Facts

In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons Labor Day Facts

Labor Day has become an important weekend for retail sales, said to be second only to Black Friday in sales. Ironically this means more than 24 percent of all workers in the U.S. (retail workers) may work harder and longer on Labor Day Labor Day Facts

Over the past 35 years, the share of American workers who belong to labor unions has fallen by about half. Labor Day Facts

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017 there were 14.8 million union members. In 1979, there was an estimated 21.0 million union members. Labor Day Facts

The National Education Association is the biggest union today with roughly 3.2 million people, including inactive and lifetime members. Labor Day Facts

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council claims that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs. That works out at an amazing 818 hot dogs eaten every second. Labor Day Facts

In 1955, the first Waffle House opened on Labor Day in Avondale Estates, GA. Labor Day Facts

Canada also celebrates a labor day on the first Monday of September. The origins can be traced back to December 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work week. Labor Day Facts