"If any man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar. If any man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool."~ Abraham Lincoln According to an article from Forbes Magazine, the first U.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City, when 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched through downtown. Some 12 years later, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday to celebrate the workers of America.