La Crosse Laborfest 2023 thanks the following volunteers. There would not have been a La Crosse Labor Day Parade & Fest without their dedication and help. While many Coulee area residents celebrated Labor Day with picnics, barbecues, family reunions, and by enjoying the festivities at Copeland Park this year, it was the dedicated few who […]

by Joshua B. Freeman, PhD In the 1880s a surge in growth of the American labor movement led to the creation of two workers’ holidays, Labor Day and May Day. May Day soon spread abroad, as European unions and socialist groups adopted it as an occasion to display their strength. Eventually the holiday came to […]

On May 1, 1886, Chicago unionists, reformers, and ordinary workers combined to make the city the center of the national movement for an eight-hour day. Between April 25 and May 4, workers attended scores of meetings and paraded through the streets at least 19 times. On Saturday, May 1, 35,000 workers walked off their jobs. […]