To many Americans, Labor Day is a farewell to summer. It’s the last backyard barbecue or trip to the beach before the school year starts. But the true meaning of Labor Day is about much more. It’s about honoring the achievements of organized workers and learning how we can build a better future.
In 1882, the Central Labor Union of New York organized the first Labor Day parade. This soon spread to more than 30 states, and 12 years later Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday. As we honor the history of the labor movement, we must also draw on its lessons for the present.
To understand the origin of the labor movement, you must look at the economy at that time. Factories and railroads were transforming the country, but workers had little power over their wages, hours or working conditions. Twelve-hour days and seven-day workweeks were common. Factory owners were making fortunes while individual workers had little to no power.
Workers realized that one person could be ignored, but thousands standing together could not.
The fight for the eight-hour day became one of the defining demands of the era. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, millions of workers took part in strikes and demonstrations. The struggle was met with fierce resistance, often ending only after bosses resorted to violence.
But workers wanted shorter hours, better pay and safe workplaces. They didn’t have the collective bargaining rights we have today, but they had a vision and the courage to fight for a better future.
Workers formed unions and built the foundation for the middle class that lasted generations. They took on some of the richest and most powerful business titans in history and won.
As we celebrate Labor Day 2026, we are living through another industrial revolution.
Artificial intelligence, algorithms and gig work are rapidly transforming workplaces. Technological change is exciting, but society must ensure the benefits are shared broadly. AI should give birth to a 32-hour workweek, not mass layoffs.
If technology leads to economic growth while workers lose power, the result is that billionaire CEOs become richer than ever while everyone else struggles to make ends meet.
The projections are worst for working women: According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, women make up 47% of the workforce, but represent 83% of the workers in AI-vulnerable occupations, like bookkeepers, medical record staff, paralegals and office workers.
Without workers organizing to fight back, we are headed for worsening income inequality, political polarization and a total evisceration of the middle class.
Today’s economy strongly resembles the Gilded Age that gave birth to the labor movement. Just as workers did 150 years ago, working people today must rise up and demand a better deal (that means organizing).
To young workers especially: You do not have to accept that this is how the economy works. You do not have to accept that your job will always be precarious or that your generation cannot afford the life previous generations worked to build.
Talk to your co-workers. Join a union. If there is no union, build one. Organize your workplace and help shape the future.
The labor movement has always been built by people who believe workers can achieve remarkable things by standing together.
The workers who marched in the first Labor Day parade in 1882 had no idea what America would look like in 2026. They could not have imagined artificial intelligence or the digital economy.
But they understood something that remains true: Workers united have the power to decide their future. It’s our turn to chart a new path. We can win a shorter workweek, better pay to keep up with the cost of living and protections against AI.
So as you enjoy your Labor Day hot dog, don’t just reminisce about the end of summer. Instead, pour one out for the organized workers who came before us. Then ask yourself: What are you going to do to fight for a better tomorrow?
