Posted by: John S Kiernan

Labor Day in the 21st century is all about beaches, BBQs, ballgames and buying things. This year, for example, 25% of Americans plan to get out of town for Labor Day weekend. More than 102 million will enjoy a cookout. Thousands will pack college football stadiums. And the average Labor Day weekend shopper will spend $58 in the process, according to WalletHub’s survey.

But it hasn’t always been that way. Labor Day’s roots can be traced back to the streets of 1880s New York City, where rival union leaders joined forces to protest the unfair labor practices that plagued industry at the time.

This is not meant to take the wind from your sails as you enjoy one last dip in the summer sun. Rather, these Labor Day facts may help you cherish the holiday even more. Its place on the calendar is uniquely American – most other countries celebrate labor in May. And there’s ample reason for celebration, considering the industrial fatality rate has fallen by roughly 78% since the early 1900s.

So WalletHub gathered the most entertaining, educational Labor Day facts we could find to create this infographic. You can also check out the Ask the Experts section that follows for a panel discussion on the many facets of Labor Day.

Embed on your website<a href="https://ift.tt/2cf5p1k"> <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/65813/2019-labor-day-by-the-numbers-v6.png" width="700" height="15340" alt="" /> </a> <div style="width:700px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="https://ift.tt/2wjMdew> Top 4 Labor Day Facts for 2019:

• 55% of Americans left a total of 768 million vacation days unused in 2018.
• 818 hot dogs are eaten every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• 594,000+ workers’ lives have been saved since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted in 1970.
• $250+ Billion is the annual cost of worker injury and illness in the U.S.

Ask the Experts

To gain a better understanding of the biggest issues facing workers today and how they’re likely to evolve in the near future, we posed the following questions to a panel of labor experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.

1. What are the biggest threats facing working people today?
2. How is the “gig economy” changing the nature of work? Should “gig economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector?
3. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?
4. How likely is it that the next Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave?
5. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend?

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• Joseph E. Slater Eugene N. Balk Professor of Law and Values, Distinguished University Professor, University of Toledo College of Law
• Arthur S. Leonard Robert F. Wagner Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Editor, LGBT Law Notes, New York Law School
• Ann C. McGinley William S. Boyd Professor of Law, Co-Director, Workplace Law Program, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Aaron Tang Acting Professor of Law, University of California, Davis
• Martin Katz University Chief Innovation Officer, Executive Director, Project X-ITE, Professor of Law and former Dean, University of Denver
• David Allen Larson Professor of Law, Senior Fellow, Dispute Resolution Institute, John H. Faricy Jr. Chair for Empirical Research, Mitchell Hamline School of Law

More Experts

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