For more than a century, NYS DOL has worked alongside organized labor to improve the lives of workers. We remain committed to fighting for the rights of all workers. On #LaborDay, we recognize all workers, from those who fought for a fair wage and a safe workplace on the first Labor Day in 1882 to those reentering the workforce today. | New York State Department of Labor

Our nation once again takes a pause to celebrate the American worker. First celebrated in 1882 – when workers’ rights, strict safety standards, and equally-applied benefits were just a dream for most people – Labor Day was a serious event and symbolized the very real struggle for safe workplaces, fair pay, and employee rights. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law designating the first Monday of September as a national holiday, but it still took decades of strikes, marches, lawsuits,