ST PAUL, Minn. — For many Americans, Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer, and a day to relax with some time away from work.
So how did workers win a day from themselves, and how was James J. Hill involved? It all had to do with the railroads, and laborers saying "enough is enough."
In St. Paul in the 1890's, J.J. Hill already made a name for himself by expanding the Great Northern Railway.
His railroad opened the Northwest for widespread settlement, farming and development.
Even in Wayzata, where they hold the James J. Hill Days every year, was transformed by having a train depot in the community.
During an economic downturn in 1893, Hill took drastic cost-saving measures to keep the railroad running. This was at a time when the average American already worked 12-hour days to make a basic living.
So in 1894, when railroad workers had their wages cut, the American Railway Union went on strike.
Workers shut down the rails from Chicago to Seattle.
In the end, Hill accepted most the workers' demands and restored their pay. That year, that same union called for a boycott of a different company in Chicago.
Unlike the peaceful resolution with Hill, the federal government sent troops in to break up the strike... starting deadly riots.
In the wake of the unrest, President Grover Cleveland passed legislation to make Labor Day a federal holiday.
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