Oregon Becomes First State to Enact Official Labor Day Holiday in 1887

Oregon’s legislature approved a bill on Feb. 21, 1887, making the state the earliest to formally recognize Labor Day as a holiday, ahead of any other state law. Prior to that, municipal ordinances in 1885 and 1886 had begun to mark the occasion, but Oregon’s action was the first statewide endorsement. New York introduced a bill first, yet Oregon’s law passed before New York’s version later in 1887, with Colorado, New Jersey and Massachusetts joining the trend that year.

The federal government adopted the holiday in 1894, and it is now marked by parades, picnics and closures of banks, schools, and government offices. This year’s observance arrives as Oregon’s economy struggles to fully rebound from the 2020 pandemic slump, with unemployment at 5.2% and the labor pool reduced by more than 10,000 workers to roughly 1.97 million. The historical milestone underscores the state’s longstanding alignment with labor interests amid current economic challenges.