Labor Day: Honoring and Remembering Workers’ Rights

​Labor Day occurs on the first Monday in September as a national holiday. Labor Day has a long history of how it came to be a symbol of labor rights and freedom, all thanks to the workers of the past.

Labor Day was not always acknowledged as an official federal holiday. Originally, it celebrated the earlier labor classes and by only individual activists and states. The first celebration was in 1882, and it was organized by the Central Labor Union.

Back then, the average worker was not always appreciated for their work. In fact, they were often exploited for their labor to industrialize the country. Many people, especially immigrants and women, were overworked and underpaid. It took many years of activists fighting for labor rights before the exploitation of workers, including forced child labor, started to be taken more seriously.

The hospitality and restaurant industry had an immense impact in fighting for labor rights. Because of how vulnerable the industry is to exploitation, workers in service industry jobs advocated for better working conditions and fair wages. In 1935, The National Labor Relations Act was signed to allow the organizing of workers, strikes, and collective bargaining.

Although the history of labor rights was long and difficult, these effects that working conditions had on the average worker were the key to eventually creating more laws and regulations to ensure that labor would not be undervalued again.

Congress eventually passed an act on June 28, 1984, marking the first Monday in September as a national holiday known as Labor Day. The activism of workers of the past was immensely impactful on the rights the modern-day workers have today. The changes they fought for have resulted in better working conditions, and laws protecting people from labor exploitation.

Even though workers’ rights have considerably improved over the last 130 years, we still see forced labor and exploitation through the crime of labor trafficking today. The hospitality industry can help prevent all forms of human trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking, by training employees with BEST’s Inhospitable to Human Trafficking training. This training is free for all ORLA members, and Labor Day can be a good reminder to train employees in September to ensure all hospitality staff are current in their human trafficking prevention certification. | Audrey Young

Audrey Young is the development and communications coordinator for the nonprofit, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST). For more information about BEST, visit www.bestalliance.org.

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This guest blog was submitted by Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST). See how ORLA members can access this training at no cost. For more information on guest blog opportunities, contact Marla McColly, Business Development Director, Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association.