Did you know that the first campaigner for Labor Day was Peter J. McGuire, a socialist carpenter? McGuire, a founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners first proposed a national holid ay honoring workers in 1882. He founded the Social Democratic Workingmens Party of North America. An editor of a socialist newspaper, The Toiler, he campaigned for the 8-hour day and joined the Greenback Labor Party. He was a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor. McGuire fought for labor unity and higher wages. Today, raising the minimum wage is a key issue for the labor movement and the working class as a whole.
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