The History of Labor Day
One of the most misunderstood days on the American calendar is Labor Day. Labor Day is perhaps the only sarcastic holiday in the entire world. The day traces its roots back to New York City in 1882. At that time there was a benevolent factory owner named John Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick had been an Irish immigrant himself, but through his own blood and sweat, he had managed to purchase a soap factory. It wasn't glamorous, but he made a good living for himself and for his family with the soaps he produced.
Like a lot of the business leaders of the 19th century, Fitzpatrick wanted to make a profit, but he cared first and foremost for his workers. If they had a problem they not only knew they could always come to John, they knew he'd probably come to him first. The Fitzpatrick Soap Factory was like one big family with 60 members. The workers enjoyed their jobs and John had loyal workers.
Then the International Brotherhood of Soap Factory Workers came to town. At first, John's employees resisted joining the union, but a couple of his men got greedy and before long union membership had spread through the factory like venereal disease through a Parisian brothel. Now, when it was time to discuss money or working conditions, instead of seeing one of his loyal workers sitting across the table from him, John had to deal with a suit wearing thug from the IBSFW.
John paid his workers 8 cents and hour, but once the union was running things, they demanded 14 cents an hour. This was more money than John could afford. Even though he wanted to pay his workers well, he knew this would bankrupt him. John offered to pay 10 cents an hour, which was a 25% raise and all the money that he could afford. The IBSFW didn't care and they immediately took the workers out on strike.
For weeks the strike raged. The union hired thugs and they smashed the windows on the factory and broke the lock on the front gate. Things began to get violent and John was worried that Kimble's Corner: The History of Labor Day: