As Labor Day approaches, remembering what the American workforce owes to immigrants

If you will enjoy a day off this coming Monday, you likely owe thanks to two children of immigrants who helped build the American labor movement and establish the Labor Day holiday. While there is some debate about the details, many historians credit the creation of the Labor Day holiday to Peter McGuire, the son of Irish immigrants and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, and Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York and organizer of the nation’s first Labor Day parade in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882.