Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

How Labor Day has changed — and not changed — in its 140-year history

Sep 4, 2023
The first Labor Day parade took place in 1882. Historian Allyson Brantley says there are notable parallels between that moment and today.
A member of the sheet metal workers union walks in a 2022 Labor Day parade in Wilmington, California. Parades have been a mainstay of Labor Day celebrations since the 1880s.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Hotel industry struggling during the pandemic

Sep 7, 2020
Four in 10 hotel employees are still not working and two-thirds of hotels remain at less than 50% occupancy.
A worker wipes down ropes near the reception of a reopened Las Vegas hotel. Even as hotels reopen, two-thirds remain at less than 50% occupancy.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Labor Day, meh? You’re not alone

Sep 3, 2018
Now that classes start mid-August for many schools in the United States, Labor Day weekend is less of a “Goodbye, sweet summer!” thing. Even the AAA has stopped predicting a traveler’s forecast. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 
People head for trains in Grand Central Terminal as thousands of New Yorkers depart the city for Labor Day weekend on September 1, 2017 in New York City. One of the busiest travel days of the year, roads and trains are often packed to capacity as people look to enjoy the last summer weekend. 
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

No big movie opening this holiday weekend? It was an "unfortunate series of events"

Sep 4, 2017
Pamela McClintock, senior film writer at The Hollywood Reporter, discusses the lackluster ticket sales at movie theaters this summer.
Moviegoers purchase tickets at an AMC theater in Arcadia, California, in August.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

The best Labor Day sales

Sep 5, 2016
There are bargains on Labor Day. But you have to know what to look for.
If you're need of appliances this Labor Day, you're in luck.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Back to school in August? Tourism businesses not happy

Sep 5, 2016
In some states, a pre-Labor Day school start is banned; but schools are pushing back.
Scheduling the first day of school can be tricky.
Visual Hunt

For public good, not for profit.

On Jersey Shore, the summer after Sandy comes to close

Sep 2, 2013
A year after Hurricane Sandy's destruction, Labor Day marks the end of a summer of recovery for beach towns.

Labor Day labor: Tactics for boarding your flight before overhead bins fill

Sep 2, 2013
Travelers share their strategies for jumping the line and avoiding bag check.