Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states - Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York - created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Who are we celebrating? 157 million people whose age is 16 and over in the nation's labor force in June 2015 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

THOMAS HOUSTON attended the National Industry Liaison Group's 33rd Annual Conference in New York City, NY in July 2015. Note: there were no current pending regulations in play at this time, as was the case last year.

The following are highlights from the conference we think will be of interest - some of which will already be familiar but reinforces the direction that is being taken. This year's topics were centered around implementation of the regulations and analysis strategies. Compensation Analysis was also a major topic as well as Outreach for Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities.

• President Obama, by Executive Order in April, 2014, enacted legislation banning federal contractors from disciplining or otherwise discouraging employees and/or applicants from reviewing pay
• Two primary statutes under which to bring forth Pay Equity Discrimination charges; Title VII and the Equal Pay Act (EPA), which pre-dates Title VII
• Standards for evaluating pay differed between the EEOC and the OFCCP has caused conflict amongst agencies.  The OFCCP is looking to use the same standards as the EEOC
• Outreach/Recruitment for VETS/Disabled
• Audit strategies - confirmed that Adverse Impact/Hires and Compensation are leading areas in findings of audit violations

Read more on all the highlights here