Labor Day and the History of the Labor Movement

​Every September, we celebrate Labor Day with parades, cookouts, and a well-deserved extra day of rest. But behind the long weekend is a powerful story about the labor movement in America and the rights workers fought hard to secure.

In the late 19th century, many people worked long hours in unsafe conditions for very little pay. Workers began to organize, forming unions and pushing for safer workplaces, fair wages, and reasonable hours. Strikes and demonstrations often met resistance, and we are talking court rulings that made unions illegal and national guard troops shooting and killing strikers. But over time, these efforts created lasting change. The labor movement helped shape the workplace protections we take for granted today — things like the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, child labor laws, workplace safety standards, and yes, spoiler alert for later - WORKERS’ COMPENSATION.

Labor Day was first celebrated in 1882 in New York City as a way to honor the contributions of working men and women. By 1894, it became a national holiday, recognizing the essential role workers play in building and sustaining our country.

Now, you don’t need to tell Kurt about what labor did for this country and it’s workers, his family lived it.  Kurt’s grandparents, on both sides of the family were at one time members of labor unions.  And what did that do?  Well his Paternal grandparents lived in a rural Ohio county city town.  They got married, shall we say, in a hurry, and within a couple of years had two kids to fee.  That could have been a recipe for struggle and poverty.  

But thanks to the hard work of his grandparents and the four unions who stood for them, Kurt’s parents’ generation sent about half of it’s members to college.  Many also joined unions as teachers and union auto workers, including Kurt’s father in the last few months of his life.  And thanks to that, Kurt’s generation includes lawyers, dentists, teachers, executives, small business entrepreneurs, with all taking some college classes, but a few opting to be skilled laborers.  And Kurt’s kids’ generation, all went to college, many without student loans and are nurses, veterinarians, social media managers, and yes a few artists and entrepreneurs themselves.

Which is why Kurt has chosen to represent working families for going on four decades now, fighting to make sure the voiceless have voices.   

So, at the Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, we see the impact of that history every day. Ohio’s workers’ compensation system is itself a product of the labor movement  designed to make sure employees who are injured on the job have access to medical care and financial support without having to fight endless battles in court.

This Labor Day, as you gather with family and friends, take a moment to remember the generations of workers who stood up for fairness and dignity in the workplace. Their efforts continue to protect us today.

Happy Labor Day from all of us at the Law Offices of Kurt M. Young.