The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade
on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, probably organized by Peter J. McGuire,
a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the
states were observing a “Labor Day” on one day or another,
and a bill to establish a federal holiday was passed by Congress in
1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating
the first Monday in September as Labor Day.
Who Are We Celebrating?
149.6 million
Number of people age 16 or older in the nation’s labor force in
July 2005. Among the nation’s workers are 80.2 million men and 69.4
million women. These men and women represent 66 percent of the civilian
noninstitutionalized adult population. <
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>
Employee Benefits
82%
Percentage of full-time workers age 18 to 64 covered by health insurance
during all or part of 2003. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/002484.html>
79%
Percentage of workers in private industry who receive a paid vacation
as one of their employment benefits. In addition –
See Table 630, 2004-2005 edition, <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html>.
Another Day, Another Dollar
$40,668 and $30,724
The annual median earnings, respectively, for male and female full-time,
year-round workers in 2003. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/002484.html>
$1,327
Average weekly wage in New York County, N.Y., for the third quarter
of 2004, the highest among the nation’s 317 largest counties.
St. Joseph County, Ind., led the nation in growth of average weekly
wages over the third quarter 2003-2004 period, with an increase of 10.4
percent. <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf>
Our Jobs
Americans work in a wide variety of occupations. Here is a sampling:
Occupation
|
Number of employees |
Gaming services workers |
85,000 |
Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists |
718,000 |
Chefs and head cooks |
281,000 |
Firefighters |
258,000 |
Musicians, singers and related workers |
179,000 |
Bakers |
183,000 |
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
286,000 |
Service station attendants |
96,000 |
Farmers and ranchers |
825,000 |
Pharmacists |
232,000 |
Teachers |
6.5 million |
See Table 597, 2004-2005 edition, <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html>.
7.3 million
Number of workers who hold down more than one job. So-called moonlighters
comprise 5 percent of the working population. Of these moonlighters,
3.8 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their
other job, and about 293,000 work full time at both jobs. See Table
590, 2004-2005 edition, <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html>.
10.3 million
Number of self-employed workers.
Table 586, 2004-2005 edition, <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html>.
20.3 million
Number of female workers in educational, health and social services
industries. More women work in this industry group than in any other.
Manufacturing was the most popular industry among men, with 11.3 million
workers. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_lang=en&_ts=133716879923>
28%
Percentage of workers 16 or older who work more than 40 hours a week.
Eight percent work 60 or more hours a week.
Table 584, 2004-2005 edition, <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html>.
15.8 million
Number of labor union members nationwide. About 13 percent of wage and
salary workers belong to unions, with New York having among the highest
rates of any state — 25 percent. North Carolina has one of the
lowest rates, 3 percent. Table 640, 2004-2005 edition, <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html>.
58,600
Number of jobs added in Maricopa County (Phoenix), Ariz., between September
2003 and September 2004, the highest of the nation’s 317 largest
counties. Among these counties, Rutherford, Tenn., experienced the highest
rate of job growth, 9.2 percent. <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf>
4.5 million
The number of people who work at home. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_lang=en&_ts=133802848315>
The Long and Winding Road — to Work
24.3 minutes
The average time it takes to commute to work. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_
acs/004489.html>
Of the 233 counties with populations of 250,000 or more, Queens (41.7
minutes), Richmond (41.3 minutes), Bronx (40.8 minutes) and Kings (39.7
minutes) – four of the five counties that comprise New York City
– experienced the longest average commute-to-work times. Workers
living in Prince William County, Va. (36.4 minutes); and Prince George’s
County, Md. (35.5 minutes) – suburban counties located within
the Washington, D.C., metro area – also faced some of the longest
commutes.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/004489.html>
More Than 100 hours
The amount of time the average American spends commuting to work each
year. (This exceeds the typical two weeks of vacation time taken by
many U.S. workers over the course of a year.) Source for the first sentence:
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/004489.html>
2.0%
Percentage of workers nationwide who face “extreme” commutes
to work – that is, they spend 90 or more minutes traveling to
their jobs.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/004489.html>
Among the 10 counties with the highest-average commuting times, the
highest percentages
of extreme commuters were found in the New York City metro area: Richmond,
N.Y.
(11.8 percent); Orange, N.Y. (10.0 percent); Queens, N.Y. (7.1 percent);
Bronx, N.Y.
(6.9 percent); Nassau, N.Y., (6.6 percent); and Kings, N.Y. (5.0 percent).
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/004489.html>