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Over the course of the last century and a half, the significance of Labour Day has gone from being a workers’ demonstration in a period when unions were still illegal, to simply the last long weekend of the summer before the start of the school year.

Not that there’s anything wrong with having one last barbecue or trip to the lake.  But now and then it is important to be reminded of what Labour Day really means.  Like so many advances made by unions on behalf of millions of working people, Labour Day itself was only recognized after a struggle.

Canadian union members can also be proud of the fact that the movement for Labour Day began in Canada when the Toronto Trades Assembly, the country’s original central labour body, organized the first significant workers demonstration on April 15, 1872.  The demonstration was held to demand the release of 24 leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union, who had been imprisoned for the “crime” of striking to gain a nine-hour day.
At the time, unions were still illegal, and authorities still tried to repress them, even though laws against “criminal conspiracy” to disrupt trade had already been abolished
in Britain. 

It is ironic that anti-union forces in our society today have revived the rhetoric that unions exist only to disrupt business and extract dues from workers’ pockets.  An entire consulting industry has grown up around the idea of staying union-free. 

So we must not kid ourselves that we live in an enlightened age where unions are an integral part of a democratic society.  The rights we enjoy are only as solid as our ability and commitment to fight for them. 
Just as now, the struggle for recognition and legal status back in the 1870s involved political action.  The Toronto parade inspired leaders in Ottawa to stage a similar event.  They did so on September 3, 1872 with a mile-long parade that marched past the home of Prime Minister John A. MacDonald.  He was hoisted into a carriage and taken to City Hall where, by torch light, he promised to sweep away “such barbarous laws” as those used to imprison the ITU workers in Toronto. MacDonald kept his word and the laws changed. 

Initially, Labour Day was celebrated in the Spring but, after it was declared a legal holiday on July 23, 1894, the celebration was moved to early fall, where it has remained.  In addition to the September holiday, Quebec workers still celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1, along with many countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The United States modeled its Labour Day celebrations after Canada.

Labour Day is not a relic from the past.  As long as there are employers that want to feed their bottom line at the expense of workers’ rights – anywhere in the world – Labour Day will continue to be symbolic of the role unions like the United Steelworkers continue to fill.  In a globalized economy, union strength and unity are needed more than ever.Happy Labour Day.