Almost Labor Day!

A history of the late summer holiday‘s origin. ☀️
1/ May 1894.

The Pullman Strike.

The economy was in trouble.

Industrialist George Pullman made the following labor decisions for his railroad company:

• Cut down his workforce
• Slashed wages
• Increased hours for those still employed
2/ Mr. Pullman also had say over the company town (aptly named “Pullman,” which is now a section of Chicago).

Mr. Pullman made the following decisions for the town:

• Keep rent steady
• Keep prices of goods steady
3/ Workers were upset.

Less pay. Same expenses. Many unemployed.

They were bearing the cost of the recession.

They went on strike.

What started in Pullman began to spread.

Trains, the primary way of transporting goods in the late 19th century, came to a halt.
4/ Enter the US Postal Service amidst political controversy.

And I’m not talking about 2020.
5/ I'm talking about the late 19th century when President Grover Cleveland came to George Pullman's support w/ a court injunction halting the strike due to the fact that the USPS relied on trains to transport mail.
6/ President Cleveland reportedly said:

"If it takes the entire army and navy of the United States to deliver a postcard in Chicago, that card will be delivered."
7/ What happened?

Workers ignored the President.

Federal Troops were sent in.

30 workers died and 57 more were injured in clashes with the troops.
8/ People across the country were upset.

President Cleveland had to regain trust w/ American workers.

He turned to a holiday first celebrated by the Central Labor Union in NYC on September 5th, 1882.

The holiday was a late summer celebration of the rights of American workers.
9/ President Cleveland, in an effort to rebuild ties with American workers, authorized this late summer celebration as a national holiday to give workers a day off and try to show support for their rights.

And thus, Labor Day was born.
You can follow @joshcadorette.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: