IDES Offices Closed Sept. 5 to Observe Labor Day

CHICAGO - The offices of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will be closed on Monday, Sept. 5, in observance of Labor Day. All services will be available on the IDES website. Claimants scheduled to certify for benefits that day are encouraged to use the Internet. TeleServe will be available. Regular office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. The labor movement created the tribute to honor the economic and social achievements that the American worker brought to our nation. The first celebration was in 1882 in New York city. The day was a Tuesday. The holiday moved to Monday in 1884. Although there are conflicting reports that the holiday began through the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners or the International Association of Machinists, there is agreement that the Central Labor Union was responsible for the initial demonstration and picnic.

Municipal ordinances first recognized the day in 1885 and 1886. New York was the first state to propose legislation creating the holiday, but Oregon was the first to enact a law in 1887. Illinois created the holiday in 1891. In 1894, Congress established the first Monday in September to be the legal holiday. In 1909, the American Federation of Labor declared the Sunday before Labor Day as Labor Sunday. It recognizes the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Although IDES offices will be closed, services are available at www.ides.illinois.gov People still will be able to file for first-time unemployment benefits, certify for benefits which is necessary to receive payment, and switch that method of payment to direct deposit. The IDES will process customer certifications on Monday. Because Monday is a federal banking holiday, the availability of some benefit payments might be delayed. The IDES does not determine federal banking holidays.

The IDES supports economic stability by administering unemployment benefits, collecting business contributions to fund those benefits, connecting employers with qualified job seekers, and providing economic information to assist career planning and economic development. It does so through nearly 60 offices across the state, including the Illinois workNet Centers.