Labor Day is a celebration of the “social and economic achievements” of American workers. It is unclear if Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, who would become the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, were the first to propose Labor Day as a holiday. What is clear is that union leadership played a crucial role in establishing the holiday.
A higher percentage of men were members of and represented by unions. Although more Black women were employed than Black men, fewer Black women belonged to and were represented by a union (see Table 1).
Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 2023 annual averages [Number in thousands]
Source: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
This Labor Day, take a moment to thank those working to provide the various services and goods, especially those not protected by unions.
