Through the Years:

Why Labour Day Matters and Why You Should Care

 

 

        Keeping our lives moving in perpetual motion and maintaining an orderly society would not be possible without the workers that layer every aspect of our world.

        No matter how technology keeps pushing us forward, people will always be needed to develop the strategies with workers implementing their visions.

        Some employees are openly valued with appreciation for a job well done with a simple thank you and covet raises and bonuses while others schlep daily to and from their place of work without even a nod of thanks.

        A special day set aside for members of the workforce that began with great celebration has seemingly been mostly downgraded to a long weekend marking the unofficial end of summer and the start of a new school year.

        Perhaps an informative history lesson will turn the tide back toward the real meaning of Labour Day – acknowledgement and gratitude for the workers that keep the wheels turning.

        In the year 1894, Labour Day officially became a holiday in Canada but its inception took over 20 years to come to fruition.

        Beginning in January, 1872, what was penned as the ‘9 Hour Movement’ was an effort to reduce working twelve hours a day to nine. Also known as the ‘9 Hour Workday’ and ‘Nine Hour League’, it was initially unsuccessful but the leaders who began the movement should not be delegated to the annals of Canada’s history books but rather continue to be celebrated. Were it not for their efforts, the benefits now taken for granted by workers, such as legislated vacation time, fair wages and hours may not exist today.

        Knowing the existence of strength in numbers and collaborative efforts, four main leaders travelled between Canadian cities drumming up support.

        James Black, an employee with Grand Trunk Railway in Montreal; James Ryan, an engineer with Great Western Railway in Hamilton together with John Hewitt, a cooper (one who makes or repairs casks or tubs) and J. S. Williams, a printer from Toronto, led the charge.

        Black became the leader of Montreal’s ‘Nine Hour League’ that included 2,000 members.

        In a show of solidarity, ‘Nine Hour Leagues’ were formed across Canada with union and non-unionized workers standing shoulder to shoulder toward the same goal – better working conditions and rights for all.

        On March 25^th, 1872, it was the Toronto Typographical Union (TTU) that went on strike after soliciting and been denied a change from the 12 hour, six day work week to a nine hour day by Globe Publisher George Brown.

        A full fifth of Toronto’s population attended a rally to support what became known of the ‘9 Hour Movement’.

        With Union movement’s illegal under Canadian law, strike organizers were arrested for committing criminal conspiracy.

        Toronto’s support for workers did not go unnoticed by Ottawa who, on September 3^rd, 1872, organized a conglomerate of seven unions who, together, led a parade that stretched for more than a mile. Ottawa’s fire fighters marched, led by an artillery band.

        Surely by design, the procession swept past the house of Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald.

        MacDonald, determined to abolish the “barbarous laws” used to incarcerate Toronto’s TTU workers, championed the Trade Union Act the passage of which protected and legalized union activity within Canada.

        Despite the fact that ‘Nine Hour Leagues’ eventually became defunct, they did lay the foundation for the formation of the Canadian Labour Union (CLU) in April, 1873.

        Leading up to the CLU, workers fought long and hard battles to obtain concessions such as rights to form and be members in trade unions along with changing legislation that had previously prevented them from taking action against their employers.

        After the establishment of Labour Day, great planning went into celebrating all workers and their contributions to society.

        Across Canada, on the first Monday of September, in cities, towns and villages, citizens marched in parades followed by a day of speeches, entertainment, community picnics and specially dedicated church services. Sports also figured prominently with lacrosse matches and various footraces. Among the activities, workers were reminded of their rights by prominent banners and posters being carried in the parades and displayed throughout the festivities.

        By the 1950s, parties mixed with a day of leisure became the norm and while parades are still held, Labour Day is not paid the significance it once held.

        Even with the festivals being downgraded over past generations, Labour Day has spawned other traditions and beliefs.

        Canadian Football League’s Labour Day Classic is held over the long weekend, adding fun competitiveness for fans across the country.

        Since 2005, motorcycle enthusiasts have flocked to Digby, Nova Scotia for the annual Wharf Rat Rally which runs for five days beginning on the Wednesday before Labour Day.

        In the cultural sector, Labour Day has also had influence. Owing to changes in acceptable social norms, the once hard and fast rule of not wearing white clothes after Labour Day has fallen by the wayside.

        While not official events representing Labour Day, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) held in Toronto and the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) held in Vancouver are highly anticipated annual festivals attracting visitors from across Canada and beyond. Attendees enjoy entertaining shows, rides and delicious eats reminiscent of early Labour Day revelry.

        Even as modernization has given way to automation, society can never function without human hands.

        No matter how you choose to spend Labour Day 2025, taking place on September 1st this year, take a moment to pause and think of how we got here and the strife endured by so many to earn workers the rights and respect they all deserve.

Photo Credit: The Canadian Encyclopedia