Every first Monday in September, we celebrate Labor Day. To most, it is a time for family, fun, and one last opportunity to enjoy summer's last rays of warmth.

What may come as a surprise to most, is that Labor day actually originiated from Toronto in the late 1800s. It began as a day to acknowledge and organize blue-collar labor unions for marches and demonstrations. It quickly grew into a traditional Canadian annual event.

With the Industrial Revolution in full-swing, United States workers soon adopted their neighbor's tradition out of practicality, also as a day intended for organization and demonstration for their unions. Labor Day was first promoted in the U.S. in New York 1886 by the Central Labor Union. Oregon was the first state to officially adopt the holiday however; and did so in 1887. The remaining Union states soon followed suit.

New York state today still has the highest rate of workers that belong to unions, coming in high above the national average (10 percent), at nearly 25 percent.

Early September was chosen as the offical holiday simply because it's not during the winter months (critical for organizing demonstrations in cities like Chicago), and sits nicely between the Independence Day and Thanksgiving gap.

However you choose to spend this Labor Day, your remote family at Truth in Accounting hopes you have a great one. Truthfully.