The relationship between Labor Day and Public Safety in the US

When I think about Labor Day, I often see it through the lens of the agencies we serve on the tech side. The holiday, with its familiar images of barbecues and family gatherings, has a deeper history that is fundamentally intertwined with the professions that keep our communities safe. It's a story of conflict and evolution, and in many of its most dramatic chapters, police and firefighters were on the front lines — not just as first responders, but as central figures in the struggle for workers' rights.

The story of Labor Day is one of negotiation and open conflict. In the earliest days, law enforcement was often tasked with maintaining order in the face of widespread strikes and protests. The first Labor Day parade in New York City in 1882 was a powerful political statement by workers, and police were there, too, in significant numbers. While the event was ultimately peaceful, the presence of club-wielding officers on horseback showed the inherent tension of the time. The role of law enforcement was to preserve order, even if it meant being on the opposite side of a divide that had been drawn by society.

This tension came to a head during the Pullman Strike of 1894, a massive railroad strike that paralyzed the nation. The conflict ended violently, with the federal government deploying troops to break the strike. In the immediate aftermath, in a bid to appease a furious working class, Congress rushed to pass legislation making Labor Day a federal holiday. It was a political maneuver, but it also cemented the holiday's legacy as a monument to the American worker. For law enforcement of that era, it was a complex and challenging situation, caught between their duty to maintain public order and the broader struggles of all working people for fair treatment.

It’s a fascinating historical parallel that the fight for fair conditions within public safety professions often mirrored the very conflicts they were asked to police. The most significant moment in this history is undoubtedly the Boston Police Strike of 1919. Officers, facing low wages and poor working conditions, sought the right to form a union and negotiate. When the city denied them this right, they walked off the job. The resulting chaos and looting led to a stern and famous rebuke from then-Governor Calvin Coolidge: "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time."

Coolidge’s words had a profound and lasting effect, setting back the cause of police and firefighter unionization for decades. The prevailing sentiment was that these professions were not like others; they were a public trust, and their duty transcended the right to collective bargaining. While our counterparts in other labor movements had secured their rights, the path for police and firefighters would be a longer, more arduous one.

Slowly but surely, through decades of quiet organizing and advocacy, fraternal and benevolent associations evolved into the powerful unions that exist today. They, too, learned that to secure fair wages, adequate benefits, and safe working conditions, they had to become their own advocates, much like the workers who marched in that first parade in 1882.

The history is complex, and it’s a story worth remembering. It reminds us that the rights and benefits of public safety professionals weren't just granted — they were earned, through a long and often difficult journey that runs parallel to the very history of Labor Day itself.

As someone who does not serve in this capacity, and spends most of my week working with folks who do, I am especially grateful for the commitment and labor of public safety professionals across the US. There’s honor in all legitimate work, but this community’s work is undeniably different than the rest.

Thank you,

Founder and Publisher, The Public Safety Report