IAM Video Unveils True Labor Day Founder
August 28, 2014
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| Former Secretary of IAM Local 344 in Patterson, NJ, Matthew Maguire, was thought to have been the founder of Labor Day. |
Ever wondered who founded Labor Day? Well, word has always had it that the holiday, dedicated to honoring working men and women, was started by a Machinists member. A new video produced by the Machinists News Network investigates.
Click here to watch “The Real Labor Day Founder.”
“There’s this big question about Labor Day. Who founded Labor Day?” said Carl Fillichio, a U.S. Labor Dept. Spokesperson. “There’s a debate over two men, with the same last name – Maguire. The first is Peter McGuire. He was a founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and later was a founder of the AFL, with his very good friend Samuel Gompers.”
“But lately,” continues Fillichio, “there’s been a discussion that the real father of Labor Day might actually be a Machinist named Matthew Maguire.”
Matthew Maguire was a machinist by trade before the IAM was formed, but later served as Secretary of IAM Local 344 in Patterson, NJ. He also served as Secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.
Click here to watch “The Real Labor Day Founder” and find out which Maguire is the true founder of Labor Day.
