Today is Labor Day, an annual federal holiday that honors the contributions of workers in America.
The push to create Labor Day was a grassroots one. Richmond has a notable place in this history, with its deep ties to the labor movement.
Although the holiday was an offshoot of the broader labor movements happening across the US in the late 19th century, there is still some historical ambiguity as to who first conceived of the holiday.
Labor Day was first celebrated in New York City on September 5, 1882, with a parade of around 10,000 workers. That parade was organized by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, a nationwide labor association.
Over the next decade, several states and municipalities started celebrating Labor Day on their own. It would become a federal holiday in 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. That makes this year the holiday’s 130th anniversary.
The same labor movement that gave rise to the holiday’s creation was thriving and pushing boundaries in the River City. Richmond workers formed a strong coalition, leading boycotts against local companies known to have poor or dangerous working conditions.
Richmond’s labor movement was built on campaigns organized by Black workers and solidarity across racial and gender lines. The inclusive nature of this movement was of major historic significance for the city, barely two decades past the Civil War.
The city was also a stronghold for the Knights of Labor, the same group that organized the first Labor Day parade.
Despite this solidarity, most workplaces and unions in Richmond remained racially segregated. This led to another wave of historic organizing among Black workers. In 1937, the Southern Negro Youth Congress held its first-ever conference in Richmond, bringing together 534 delegates from across the South.
In recent years, both Richmond Public Schools and City of Richmond employees have voted to unionize. The school district’s 2021 decision made them the first division in Virginia to allow collective bargaining.
