CHICAGO — The neighborhood that largely gave birth to the Labor Day holiday will host a party honoring its legacy in the workers rights movement this weekend.
The Pullman National Monument will host a Labor Day party on Monday at the historic site on the city's Far South Side.
There will be an emphasis on the history of the holiday and its relationship to Chicago and Pullman, according to organizers. A program called "Celebrating American Workers" will also be showcased.
The party will be held at the historic factory complex within the national monument at 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.
Pullman was once a "company town" built by George Pullman, whose business built railroad cars. It was a revolutionary concept — a self-sustaining company town where employees lived, worked and played.
Almost 4,000 Pullman Company workers went on strike in 1894 after their wages were cut but rent for company housing remained the same.
Eventually more than 100,000 workers across the United States walked off their jobs until the federal government intervened and ended the strike.
Labor Day was designated a federal holiday shortly after the Pullman Strike ended in 1894 as a way to appease labor activists.
Pullman was named a national monument by President Barack Obama in 2015.
The Labor Day party at Pullman National Monument will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday at the monument, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. It is free and open to the public.
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