Labor Day is a federal holiday that honors the accomplishments of the Labor Rights movement in the United States. The holiday first began on a smaller, local scale where community members would organize picnics, parades and other forms of celebration. Several states recognized these Labor Day celebrations and in 1894 after the Pullman Palace Car Company strike, where workers and federal troops clashed, the United States government designated the first Monday of every September as Labor Day, thus honoring the work of labor unions and workers who advocated for fair pay and a safer workplace.
General History of Labor Rights Movement:
Many people are accustomed to the existence of the 40-hour work week, a minimum wage and a safe workplace. But for years, there were few laws that regulated working conditions, child labor or that mandated breaks for employees. Workers banded together to demand safer working conditions, fair pay, financial benefits in case of injury or death on the job and other employment benefits. This led to the creation of labor unions where workers could meet to share their grievances and present a unified front against employee exploitation.
During the Industrial Revolution, which occurred from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s, it was common for factory workers to work lengthy shifts, every day of the week in factories or other industries where there were no safety measures in place. Young children worked alongside adults and manned powerful machines that could leave them severely injured or dead if there was an issue during production.
To address these workplace concerns, labor unions organized strikes and other forms of resistance in an effort to force employers to improve working conditions:
“Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to long standing traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.” (History.com, 2022)
While industrial cities began to celebrate an unofficial ‘Labor Day,’ it wasn’t until 1894 that the United States government officially established the first Monday in September as ‘Labor Day.’ This federal designation occurred after the tragic events in Chicago when violence broke out between striking employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company and federal troops who were sent to break up the strike. The arrival of the troops caused riots to occur, which led to the deaths of some of the workers. After this incident, the United States government recognized the strength of American workers.
Labor Laws and HealthCare
There are three key pieces of legislation that protect workers in the workplace, with one law that is of particular importance for healthcare workers. The first law is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 which established the 40-hour work week, a minimum wage, overtime pay and ended child labor exploitation. Under this act, employers are also required to maintain accurate records of the number of hours an employee worked and the pay that they received as compensation. While teenagers can still be employed, the FLSA prevents young people from working in certain dangerous industries and limits the amount of hours they can work. These standards apply to the private sector and the Federal, State, and local governments.
Following the Fair Labor Standards Act is the Occupational Safety and Health Act which was signed into law in 1970. According to section 5 of the Act, “Each employer– 1.) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; 2.) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act” (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1970). This act also established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA, which maintains and enforces workplace safety standards.
The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act is a federal law that provides an additional layer of protection to the workplace safety standards created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This act “revises the bloodborne pathogens standard, in effect under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to include safer medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems, as examples of engineering controls designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through needlestick and other percutaneous injuries” (United States Congress, 2000). This particular law is important for healthcare workers who handle needles and other devices where they may come into close contact with pathogens or bodily fluids.
In ‘Protecting Labor Rights: Roles for Public Health’ by Bhatia et. al, the authors write “Laws and standards on working conditions, including those for the minimum wage, the eight-hour work day, workplace safety, child labor, and collective bargaining, exist to prevent involuntary hazards and to assure that compensation for workers is sufficient to meet their basic economic needs. These working conditions are also understood to be social, economic, and physical determinants of health and health inequalities” (Bhatia et al., 2013, p. 39). Labor Day is seen as one of the last summer holidays and a great time to rest in preparation for the remainder of the year. By understanding the hard fight labor unions and workers endured to create a more just and equitable work environment, we can continue to honor their legacy and advocate for additional employee protection and labor standards.
Works Cited:
Labor Day 2022. (April 29, 2022).History.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022 from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/labor-day-1
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (1970). OSH Act of 1970.
United States Congress. (2000). Summary: H.R. 5178–106TH Congress (1999-2000).
Bhatia, Gaydos, M., Yu, K., & Weintraub, J. (2013). Protecting Labor Rights: Roles for Public Health. Public Health Reports, 128(6_suppl3), 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549131286S307
