STAT Holiday on Sept 7 – Labour Day

Every year, Labour Day is celebrated across the nation on the first Monday of September. Although Labour Day is often viewed as the last opportunity of the summer to visit the beach or enjoy a BBQ on the patio, Labour Day pays tribute to the Canadian labour movement that began in 1872, as Toronto’s print workers fought for a nine hour work day. As the movement continued and soldiers returned home from World War 1, Canadians witnessed the historic Winnipeg general strike in 1919, the largest worker strike in Canadian history.

Canadians fought for, and won many of the rights enjoyed by Canadian workers today – minimum wages, overtime pay, workplace health and safety standards, maternity and parental leave, vacation pay, and protection from discrimination and harassment. Today, employment standards vary from province to province, and are enforced by provincial employment branches.

Did you know that Labour Day is also shared with our friends to the south? That’s right! America’srecognition of the workers was inspired by the labour movement and Canada’s observation of labour festivals. The first Labour Day holiday observed in a U.S state was in Oregon in 1887, and was soon recognized as a federal holiday in 1894.

In celebrating of Labour Day, all SanMar Canada locations will be closed on Monday, September 7th.