Labor Day - A Political Bribe?

What does Labor Day mean to you? Most likely, it simply signals the end of the summer and another day off of work. Outside of labor unions, few associate Labor day with the organized labor movement. It's just a day off.

In 1894, President Grover Clevelandsent in the US Army to put down a labor strike involving the Pullmanrailroad cars and their operators. Railroads were the major means of transportation at the time, so a strike paralyzed much of the nation. Cleveland saw it as such a critical area that he ordered the Army to break the strike. But just as the Army is not designed or trained to build roads or distribute food, the Army is not trained to be effective strike breakers. Then, as now, the Army trains to kill people and break things. Predictably to everyone but President Cleveland, this did not end well.

By the time the dust had settled, the strike had been broken, but several striking unionistas had been killed. The unions, already mad at being cut off by the President, were not enraged that their comrades had been gunned down at the direction of "the man".

Fearing labor retaliation, and a looming election, Cleveland moved fast. Within 6 days, Congress had passed and Cleveland signed legislation making Labor Day a federally recognized holiday. And today we get a nice day in early September to relax and not work.

Incidentally, labor unions still pilloried Cleveland and he lost his reelection bid.