The first unofficial Labor Day was September 5, 1882. President Grover Cleveland signed it into law in 1894, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day. As of May this year, 154.5 million Americans worked: 82.6 million men and 71.9 million women. Among Americans working full time, 82 percent were covered by health insurance; 77 percent of workers in private industry received paid vacations; 77 percent of workers receive paid holidays.

What percentage of workers have access to the following?
-child care assistance: 15 percent
-long term care insurance: 12 percent
-medical care: 71 percent
-dental care: 46 percent
-vision care: 29 percent
-outpatient prescription drug coverage: 64 percent

America has:
-7.1 million teachers
-778,000 cosmetologists and hair stylists
-288,000 firefighters
-247,000 pharmacists
-170,000 musicians, singers and related workers
-104,000 tax preparers
-90,000 service station workers
And 10.4 million Americans work for themselves (self-employed).

The median time for workers to have been with their employer is 4 years. Nine percent of workers have been at the same job for 20 years or more. The median earnings in 2006:
$42,261 for men
$32,515 for women

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Aug. 27, 2008