“In the U.S., deeply ingrained corporate and political opposition to any strong criticism of capitalism led to extensive characterizations of any workers movement as ‘un-American,’” explained Robert Bruno, director of the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois. “We celebrate Labor Day — as opposed to International Workers’ Day — because in 1894, President Grover Cleveland and Congress wanted a holiday in labor’s name to diffuse growing worker militancy and deter the development of a more radical labor movement.”