Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and

phrases especially written for people learning English. Today, Katie Weaver and Andrew Smith tell us about Labor Day in the United States.

Then Katie and I present this week's science report. We close the show

by hearing the first part of our Lesson of the Day podcast series with Jill Robbins and Andrew Smith.

But first, Labor Day is a national holiday to celebrate workers in the United States.

The holiday on the first Monday of September is on September

September 2nd this year.

For Americans, the holiday also informally marks the end of summer.

The hot days of summer turn to cooler days ahead. Students are returning to

returning to school. Many celebrate the holiday with an outdoor barbecue or one more weekend at the

beach. But Labor Day started with a struggle.

On May 1st, 1889, workers demonstrated on the streets of Paris, France.

The demonstration led to International Labor Day.

Most countries in the world except the United States and Canada celebrate Labor Day on the 1st of May.

The 1st American Labor Day celebration was held on September 5, 1882 in New York City.

About 10,000 workers marched through the streets to show the strength of

labor organizations. For many years after that, American workers used the first Monday in September to demand better working conditions and pay.

Several U.S. cities and states began to recognize the day as Labor Day. In 1894 President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law making it a

national holiday.

...