When did Labor Day actually become a national holiday, and how was this done?

Answer 1

When I was in college I did an oral report in accounting class (to receive a guaranteed A on my first test) on Labor Day and It's origin. I remember the women working in sweat shops in NY city were asked to walk in a parade. They said "We have nothing but rags to wear." They told them 'Let them march in their rags" to draw attention to their plight.
Good thing I got that A. Accounting is NOT a good subject for me.
Signed,
Victim of "New Math"

Answer 2

This is from Encarta:
Labor Day
Encyclopedia Article
Labor Day, legal holiday honoring workers, celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September. The observance includes parades and speeches reviewing labor’s contributions to society. In most of Europe the first of May—May Day—is set aside as a day to honor workers.

II Origins of Labor Day in the United States
Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and union leader, generally receives credit for suggesting a holiday to honor workers in 1882. McGuire chose the September date to give workers a holiday midway through the long stretch between Independence Day (July 4) and Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November). The first Labor Day observance was held in New York City on September 5, 1882. Thousands of workers marched in a parade from City Hall to Union Square. Afterward, they gathered in a park with their families for a picnic and speeches.

In 1887 Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday. Other states soon followed. Early Labor Day parades were demonstrations in support of an eight-hour workday. During the 1800s most laborers worked long hours at low pay.

III Labor Day Becomes a Federal Holiday
In 1894 the United States Congress passed legislation that made Labor Day a federal holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law. That year, railway workers in Pullman, Illinois, had gone on strike to protest wage cuts. Cleveland sent in federal troops to end the strike. Strikers were killed, and their leaders were jailed. Congress and the president hoped to pacify labor with the holiday.

Answer 3

History of Labor Day, with graphics, here:

http://www.history.com/minisites/laborday

Answer 4

It is a day set aside for the Union Workers. They needed a day of rest to they took the first Monday in September to honor that.

Answer 5

before my time i know that, ha''