Labor Day was first celebrated by the Central Labor Union on September 5, 1882 in New York City and by 1885 the celebration had spread widely.  The first state to recognize Labor Day was Oregon in 1887, followed swiftly by Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.  Following the violent clash between the U.S. military and marshals and railroad workers during the Pullman Strike which resulted in thirdy deaths in the summer of 1894, the U.S.  Congress designated the first Monday of September as a national holiday to honor labor.  Labor Day was recognized by the release of the Labor Day Stamp in in the White House Rose Garden on September 3, 1955.  The  stamp features a design from the mosaic “Labor of Life” by artist Lumen Winter which can be found at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C.