It’s Labor Day

(CNN)– Today is Labor Day (September 7, 2026).

It’s often a time for beach trips, picnics, and barbecues.

Some consider it the unofficial end of Summer but Labor Day actually is rooted in the 19th-century fight for fair job conditions.

Experts say some unions encouraged workers to take off the first Monday in September.

Now the federal government states and most employers honor the tradition.

Millions of people are traveling for the holiday.

Others are staying home amid what AAA calls the highest Labor Day weekend gas prices ever.