The United States will observe Labor Day on September 1, a holiday that recognizes the achievements of the labor movement and American workers. The history of this day traces back to the struggles and efforts by unions to secure better working conditions, fair pay, and other fundamental rights for employees.
Unions began organizing nationally in 1866 with the founding of the National Labor Union (NLU) by William Sylvis. At its inception, there were about 200,000 workers involved in local unions across the country. The NLU aimed to extend labor issues into politics but was dissolved after economic downturns such as the Panic of 1873. However, collective action among workers continued.
In 1869, the Knights of Labor formed as an inclusive group for all workers regardless of gender or race. Their membership peaked at 750,000 in 1886 and they advocated for reforms including child labor restrictions and public ownership of key industries. That same year saw significant unrest: over 30,000 workers marched for an eight-hour workday on May 1 before violence erupted; later at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a bombing during a protest led to multiple deaths among police officers and civilians.
Following these events, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) emerged as a major force representing skilled craft workers. Legislative victories followed over time—such as limits on child labor through acts like Keating-Owen (later overturned), bans on anti-union contracts via Norris-LaGuardia Act, and establishment of the Department of Labor in 1913.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, widespread dissatisfaction among industrial workers led President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration to pass laws establishing minimum wages and maximum hours while protecting union rights. Although some legislation was struck down by courts—including parts of Roosevelt’s New Deal—the Wagner National Labor Relations Act ensured legal protections for unionizing.
By World War II’s end, more than twelve million Americans belonged to unions. In 1938 came passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which established federal standards for minimum wage, overtime pay eligibility, youth employment restrictions, and workplace safety measures.
Unions also played roles in advancing civil rights throughout subsequent decades—helping lay groundwork for laws like the Equal Pay Act and Civil Rights Act that addressed discrimination based on gender or race.
Worker safety took center stage with President Richard Nixon’s signing of OSHA into law in 1970; this created federal requirements to protect employees from various hazards at work.
Some groups remained excluded from certain protections—for example farmworkers did not receive full coverage under FLSA but continued organizing independently. By mid-1970s California passed state-level protections allowing farmworker collective bargaining following high-profile strikes such as those led by United Farm Workers during events like the Delano Grape Strike.
Florida experienced its own significant moment when educators staged a statewide walkout in 1968 protesting low salaries and inadequate school funding after anti-strike laws were enacted. As many as one-third of Florida’s school districts closed during this two-and-a-half-week action until negotiations resulted in county boards being required to negotiate professionally with teachers—a move that eventually secured collective bargaining rights under state law while still prohibiting strikes.
Recent decades brought additional expansions through laws such as Americans With Disabilities Act (1990) mandating reasonable accommodations at work and Family Medical Leave Act (1993) granting job-protected leave for family or medical reasons.
Despite these gains there are ongoing challenges: some U.S. states continue to limit union power or reduce worker protections—including attacks on child labor safeguards—and paid parental leave is not yet mandated nationwide.
“Through unions, we’ve transformed workplaces, won dignity, and reshaped our democracy,” according to a statement issued ahead of this year’s holiday observance by representatives speaking on behalf of Florida educators’ organizations. “By the power of our collective voice, we will continue pushing toward a future where every educator, education staff professional, nurse, postal worker, transit employee, and every worker who keeps our communities running can live the American Dream.”
They added: “At the core of our work as educators and unionists is a simple truth: we do this for our students and for the future we all deserve. Labor Day should serve as a reminder of how far we’ve come—and why we must never stop moving forward.”
Floridians are encouraged to participate in community events organized around Labor Day by groups such as AFL-CIO throughout the state.
