5 things you need to know happening in Florida on Monday, September 3

TAMPA - Here are five things you need to know happening in Florida on Monday, September 3.

(1) Labor Day

Monday is Labor Day. The national holiday is always celebrated on the first Monday in September.

The first time the holiday was celebrated by the Central Labor Union in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882.

Oregon became the first state of officially recognize the holiday when the state passed a law on February 21, 1887. Within seven years, 23 other states had adopted the Labor Day as a holiday in honor of workers. On June 23, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a federal holiday.

Labor Day celebrations often took the form of street parades and speeches by prominent men and women.

For more information on the history of Labor Day and who may have first proposed the holiday, visit www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm .

(2) Sanitation workers protest

Sanitation workers with the City of St. Petersburg held a protest before their scheduled shift on Monday.

The workers gathered before sunrise to demand time off for federal holidays. Instead of spending the holiday with family and friends, it will be business as usual for SEIU Florida Public Service Union members.

The sanitation workers are upset because other city employees receive Labor Day and other federal holiday off. They said if St. Petersburg gave them the day off, the city would save thousands of dollars and improve moral.

The protest occurred at 6:00 a.m. at the Joseph Savage Sanitation Complex at 2001 28th Street North in St Petersburg.

(3) AAA Tow to Go

Florida Highway Patrol troopers, sheriff deputies and local police officers will be out on patrol looking for inebriated on Monday.

If you have had a little too much to drink and can not find a designated driver to take you home, AAA and Bud Light have a program to keep you safe and off the roads.

"The Tow to Go program is a simple and effective way to help prevent drunk driving," said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch.  "We are proud to join forces with AAA and their team of roadside assistance service vehicle drivers on this great program that helps to keep our roads safe."

Since its inception in 1998, Tow to Go has safely removed more than 20,000 intoxicated drivers from the roads.

The Tow to Go Service offers a free confidential local ride within a 10-mile radius to a safe location. It is available to both AAA members and non-members. The AAA tow truck takes both the vehicle and the driver home.

If you need the Tow to Go Service, it will be available today by calling (855) 2-TWO-2-GO (or toll-free 855-286-9246).

(4) Yankees vs. Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays return home to Tropicana Field on Monday for a special Labor Day matinee against the New York Yankees.

Currently, the Yankees lead the Rays by 3 1/2 games in the American League East. New York has lost nine straight games at Tropicana Field before winning their most recent game in St. Petersburg 4-3 on July 4.

The Yankees expect third baseman Alex Rodriguez to return to their line up. He had been out since July 24 with a broken left hand.

The starting pitching matchup sees New York's CC Sabathia (13-4, 3.40 ERA) facing the Rays' James Shields (12-8, 3.91 ERA).

Game time is 1:10 p.m. For more information, call (888) FAN-RAYS or visit raysbaseball.com .

(5) Zim Bear giveaway

If you are going to the Rays game on Monday, you should consider arriving early. The team is giving away Zim Bears for the second time this year.

Because of popular demand, the Rays will giveaway the "unusual" promotional item to the first 10,000 fans attending today's game.

Tropicana Field gates will open at 11:40 a.m., 90 minutes before game time.