This Labor Day, Honor Workers in the Place Where It All Began

Labor Day marks all sorts of important things: the unofficial end of summer, the start of a new school year and one final day off work after a long, hot season. But not everyone gets time off on the September 5 holiday: lots of essential workers, from first responders to service workers, will still be on the job to make your day off easier and safer.  

Take this Labor Day to appreciate those workers — many of whom worked all throughout the pandemic. After all, Lower Manhattan workers are responsible for starting Labor Day in the first place. 

The very first Labor Day was celebrated in downtown Manhattan in 1882, with a parade that went from City Hall to Union Square. It involved as many as 20,000 New Yorkers from various trade organizations, from jewelers and painters to dock builders and cigar makers, and together they fought to secure a better, healthier and more fair life for workers everywhere. 

You might not find as many cigar makers or dock builders in the neighborhood these days, but you will find many workers in trades new and old who keep our neighborhood humming — through a crisis or just through a working holiday. Use this Labor Day to honor these original 1882 workers by giving those you see today around the neighborhood a smile, by expressing a little gratitude and just by being extra-sweet to them.