Labor Day has deep roots in the 130 years of the labor movement and its efforts to improve working conditions in America. It is also known as International Workers’ Day or May Day and is celebrated on May 1 internationally.

With the growth of the Industrial Revolution came the demand for labor and trade unions. Around the 1850s, eight-hour movements across the world aimed to reduce the working day from ten to eight hours. At its first congress in 1886, the American Federation of Labour called for a general strike in Chicago on May 1 to demand an eight-hour day, which culminated in what is known today as the Haymarket affair.