If you’re a US worker who has ever taken advantage of work-free weekends, lunch breaks, paid vacation, sick leave, social security benefits, minimum wage, overtime pay, or a 40-hour work week, you can thank the American labor movement. We often forget that Labor Day was designated as a federal holiday in order to celebrate the achievements of this movement, but fair and safe working conditions have not always been a given. They were hard-won by common people who fought and even lost their lives for the cause.

Labor Day was designated as a federal holiday in order to celebrate the achievements of the American labor movement, but fair and safe working conditions have not always been a given.

The images below show the parades, strikes, and tragedies that ultimately made way for improved working conditions in the US, yet by no means is the fight for fair labor laws over. Many minimum wage workers across the US require government assistance to keep their families afloat. A recent lawsuit against Uber has raised the issue of whether companies that run on the “gig economy” should be able to categorize their workers as “independent contractors” — a designation that passes the cost of health insurance, social security, and other expenses on to the worker. And if you thought child labor was a thing of the past here in America, think again: Many US child labor laws don’t apply to hundreds of thousands of children working in the agricultural industry in the US today.

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Safe Working Conditions

Max Blanck and Isaac Harris owned the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC, whose infamous fire in 1911 killed 145 workers, mainly teenage girls. Most of the deaths could have been prevented had adequate precautions been taken and had exits been available, but Blanck and Harris weren’t concerned with working conditions. While the two owners were never prosecuted for deaths from the fire, the tragedy sparked protests that eventually prompted reforms, including requirements that workplaces have sprinkler systems, adequate ventilation and exits, and fire alarms. About the images: Left - Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. Right - Exterior of the Asch Building after the infamous 1911 fire; note the company sign on the building corner.Photo credit: Kheel Center / Flickr. Max Blanck and Isaac Harris owned the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC, whose infamous fire in 1911 killed 145 workers, mainly teenage girls. Most of the deaths could have been prevented had adequate precautions been taken and had exits been available, but Blanck and Harris weren’t concerned with working conditions. While the two owners were never prosecuted for deaths from the fire, the tragedy sparked protests that eventually prompted reforms, including requirements that workplaces have sprinkler systems, adequate ventilation and exits, and fire alarms. About the images: Left - Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. Right - Exterior of the Asch Building after the infamous 1911 fire; note the company sign on the building corner.Photo credit: Kheel Center / Flickr

Eight-Hour Day

While the six-month 1913 Paterson Silk Strike ended in defeat, it was a part of a series of strikes that led to eight-hour workday laws in several industries and eventually resulted in national regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. About the image: Children of the Paterson Silk strikers arrive in Union Square, NYC, during the May Day parade on May 1, 1913. Photo credit: Bain News Service / Library of Congress. While the six-month 1913 Paterson Silk Strike ended in defeat, it was a part of a series of strikes that led to eight-hour workday laws in several industries and eventually resulted in national regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

Collective Bargaining

During the miners’ strikes in Ludlow, Colorado, workers fought for bargaining power as part of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). This strike led to the Ludlow Massacre, which took the lives of some two-dozen people, including strikers, wives, and children. Howard Zinn called it “the culminating act of perhaps the most violent struggle between corporate power and laboring men in American history.” While the strike was eventually called off, it paved the way for many reforms based on the UMWA’s demands. About the image: These armed miners participating in the 1914 Ludlow strike fought for collective bargaining power. Photo credit: Survey Associates, Inc. / Wikimedia. During the miners’ strikes in Ludlow, Colorado, workers fought for bargaining power as part of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). This strike led to the Ludlow Massacre, which took the lives of some two-dozen people, including strikers, wives, and children. Howard Zinn called it “the culminating act of perhaps the most violent struggle between corporate power and laboring men in American history.” While the strike was eventually called off, it paved the way for many reforms based on the UMWA’s demands.

Forty-Hour Week

A series of sit-down strikes (where workers come to work but sit down instead of working) occurred in the US following the famous Flint Sit-Down Strike at General Motors in 1936–1937. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act eventually established the 40-hour work week About the image: Woolworth’s employees hold a “sit-down strike” for a 40-hour work week, circa 1937. Photo credit: Bain News Service / Library of Congress. A series of sit-down strikes (where workers come to work but sit down instead of working) occurred in the US following the famous Flint Sit-Down Strike at General Motors in 1936–1937. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act eventually established the 40-hour work week

Union Recognition

The Memorial Day Massacre occurred when ten unarmed strikers were killed by the Chicago Police during the 1937 “Little Steel” strike. The strike ended in defeat after five months, but the groundwork had been laid — “Little Steel” was unionized five years later. About the image: A policeman hits a striker with a baton during The Memorial Day Massacre of 1937. Photo credit: Memorial Day Massacre website and NEIU Archives. The Memorial Day Massacre occurred when ten unarmed strikers were killed by the Chicago Police during the 1937 “Little Steel” strike. The strike ended in defeat after five months, but the groundwork had been laid — “Little Steel” was unionized five years later.

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The above images depict just a few of the battles eventually won by labor movements nationwide. If you work in the US, you have likely taken advantage of a plethora of rights and laws fought for by the American labor movement, including:

• Work-free weekends

• Lunch breaks

• Paid vacation

• Sick leave

• Social Security

• Minimum wage

• Civil Rights Act/Title VII (prohibiting employer discrimination)

• Eight-hour work day

• Overtime pay

• Child labor laws

• Workers’ compensation

• Unemployment insurance

• Workplace safety

• Collective bargaining rights

• And more

Related front page panorama photo credit: Seamstress (Moses Soyer / Smithsonian American Art Museum), Mine Rescue (Fletcher Martin / Smithsonian American Art Museum), Artwork Days without End (Frank Cassara / Smithsonian American Art Museum)

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