The first Labour Day Parade touted worker health and safety
Posted by Richard Frazee on Mon, Sep 07, 2009 @ 01:24 PM
Happy Labour Day! Why the Canadian spelling? Because Labour Day, says treehugger.com, is an "imported holiday"—inspired by Toronto workers' demonstrations for improved workplace conditions.
In March 1872, the Toronto Typographical Union went on strike, seeking shorter hours (they wanted a 58-hour work week!) and safer working conditions. Printers' life expectancy was about 35 years because of their exposure to lead and toxic inks, and the frequency of workplace accidents. A parade of about
2,000 workers, led by two bands, marched through Toronto—gathering supporters as they went, eventually reaching 10,000.
The Toronto workers' parades led to an annual celebration. In 1882 American labor leader
Peter J. McGuire saw one of these Toronto "labour festivals" and, on returning to New York,
he organized the first American "labour day" on September 5.
The Canadian Encyclopedia gives a detailed account of workers' early attempts to win better workplace health and safety conditions. As an aside, many of the original strikers lost their jobs and were
forced to leave Toronto. But the fight for a shorter work week became a mainstay in union demands.
photo credit: peasap