09/07/2026
Happy Labor Day! Michael’s post about the history of Labor Day is worth reading.
The first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City in September 1882. It was celebrated in Union Square to honor workers with a rare day of rest. Hosted by unions, workers enjoyed picnics, parades, and protests demanding fair wages, an end to child labor and the right to organize.
These conditions stemmed from dangerous work environments that required at least twelve-hour workdays, six days a week. There were no vacations, sick days, retirement benefits, or pensions. It was common to see young children working in tough manual labor environments, rather than attending school. Women were locked in hazardous sweatshops. This led to tragedies like the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire, which killed every woman working that day.
Companies fought against the development of these unions, stating they were bad for business and calling the workers greedy. This culminated in many violent attacks on workers, often perpetrated by hired, private police forces, such as the Haymarket Square riot in 1886.
Change finally came in 1938 when Franklin Roosevelt, working along side unions, signed federal protections into law, calling for eight hour work days, five days a week, and an end to child labor.
Union representation then began to explode along with the growth of the middle class in America. The American economy was seen as the envy of the world. Families could afford homes, vacations, and to send their children off to receive some of the best education in the world.
This was all achievable due to checks and balances between the owner class and labor, brought forth by labor organizing into unions and fighting for a fair deal.
We celebrate today, with a well earned day off for most. To spend with our friends and loved ones around the grill or for the last swim of the season. But as the sun sets this evening, don't forget all the blood, sweat, and tears shed so we can enjoy even the simplest things in our lives.
This is more important now than ever. It is no coincidence that since businesses and government entities worked together to break up unions in the 1980s, wealth inequality has grown greater than it was in the Gilded Age. This has been led by misinformation campaigns and strategies, leading back to the Powell Memo (Look it up, this post is already too long).
Today, while union membership is nowhere near its peak numbers, those numbers are beginning to rise again. Speaking as a supporter and member of a union myself, when workers have representation and support from their peers, everyone enjoys a higher quality of life.
I hope everyone who has the ability to do so enjoys their day off, and remembers those who sacrificed everything in the past so that later generations wouldn't have to.
I say all of that to say, happy Labor Day everyone.
