Paterson's Matthew Maguire Credited in Labor Day Origins
The origins of Labor Day, a federal holiday celebrating American workers, are often attributed to two individuals, one of whom is Matthew Maguire. Maguire, the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, is believed by some to have proposed the holiday in 1882. At the time, he was serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. The first organized Labor Day parade, then known as the "workingmen's holiday," took place in New York City on September 5, 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union. Thousands of workers participated to highlight labor issues and demonstrate the collective strength of trade and labor organizations. The U.S. Department of Labor acknowledges both Maguire and Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, as potential founders of the holiday. 
