Labour Day

This entry tries to focus on  the origin of Labour Day in America; the aim of the class is that students get familiariazed with work vocabulary, such as, unions, strike, rights, working hours, etc.
The first video is the history in depth and allows students to practise their listening skills and listen for information

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/labor-day/videos/history-of-labor-day

After having watched the video about Labour Day, please answer the following questions below.

1. When did unions stop being illegal in Canada?
2. When and why was Labor Day celebrated?
3. Can you name the starting point and the ending point of New York first Labor Day demonstration?
4. What was the first US state to legalize Labor Day holiday?
5. Who was the 22nd US president during 1884 rail workers’ protests?

This glossary can help you with your understanding:

Union “sindicato”
Strike “ huelga”
To rally “concentrarse, solidarizarse”
Blue collar worker “ trabajador de la clase obrera”

For those having problems with understanding, EnglishClass101 has got a simpler version



A spelling remark: the entry is named labour day, using the British spelling, when Americans use instead of . Other examples are color and neighbor

Although Labour Day means almost the end of the summer, don't get depressed! We have an entire year to work together!

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