# Labor Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786 "2003-05-22T12:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f1d935/32.png) [@Elwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elwood)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/1 "2003-05-22T12:00:54Z")
Didn’t Labor Day used to be the Monday after the first Sunday in September? Did somebody change the rules? Who decides these things anyway? ---
**Author:** ![DonJorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@DonJorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonJorge)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/2 "2003-05-22T12:23:56Z")
It still is, if you live in USA or Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Elwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f1d935/32.png) [@Elwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elwood)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/3 "2003-05-22T12:39:04Z")
Labor Day is on September 1st this year. The first Sunday is the 7th so Labor Day would have been the 8th if they were still using the old rules. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/4 "2003-05-22T12:54:18Z")
According to the friendly folks at the [Department of Labor](http://www.dol.gov/) (and they should know), Labor Day is officially defined, in the US, as the first Monday in September. No “post-first-sunday” clause. [Cite](http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm). ---
**Author:** ![DonJorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@DonJorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonJorge)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/5 "2003-05-22T13:05:35Z")
Ok. Labor day in the US is the fisrt Monday of September. (It was on Sept. 5, during a brief period in 1882-83. The federal goverment decided to make it a federal public holiday in 1894, the ‘ruke’ being that it was the first Monday in September). Labour Day (Canada), is the first Monday of September. It’s celebrated on May 1st. on most other countries. ---
**Author:** ![DonJorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@DonJorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonJorge)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/6 "2003-05-22T13:07:38Z")
Oops. Should’ve previewed. Thanks friedo. ---
**Author:** ![Elwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f1d935/32.png) [@Elwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elwood)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/7 "2003-05-22T13:31:57Z")
It seems that you’re both right, but I can’t shake the notion in the cobwebs of my memory that some holiday - if not Labor Day - is the Monday after the first Sunday of something. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-day/176786/8 "2003-05-22T13:35:12Z")
You’re thinking of election day – the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why that? See [This site](http://www.fec.gov/pages/faqvdayeprocedures.htm)