What is Labor Day really about? And what does it mean for workers’ rights?

Welcome to Lead With Inclusion! This weekly newsletter is a resource for EVERY professional. Whether you’re a manager ready to be a more inclusive leader, or an employee ready to be a DEI champion in your workplace, inclusive actions lead to inclusive outcomes. Leading with inclusion simply means starting with inclusive actions in everything you do. It means identifying the areas where bias is at work, and shifting mindsets to make change.?

If you’re not sure where to begin, start here.

Do you know why we celebrate Labor Day?

The holiday falls on the first Monday of September every year and while Labor Day certainly holds lots of significance in American culture (think of the infamous ‘no white after Labor Day’ rule), that significance seems to have much more to do with the timing of the holiday, rather than its history or meaning. When we think about Labor Day, we might think about the end of summer, our family barbecues, shopping deals and savings, the start of the school year, the list goes on. Labor Day Weekend is often a peak time for end-of-summer travel, with employees using the extra Monday off as an opportunity to make the most of the last few weeks of warm weather.

But what is Labor Day really about? And is it relevant to inclusion in the workplace?

The answer is: absolutely. Labor Day, as you may have guessed by its name, is an annual celebration rooted in the labor movement and workers’ rights. The rise of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries brought about all kinds of risks and challenges for workers at the time, from unsafe working conditions to low pay and lack of protections for employees. In fact, the very first Labor Day parade in 1882 wasn’t simply a parade - it was a march. Some 10,000 workers in New York City marched to City Hall to protest unsafe work conditions at the time. This demonstration became the first of many, with lots of other states beginning to recognize Labor Day in their local communities. As protests and unrest continued, the federal government eventually recognized Labor Day as a national holiday in 1894 in an attempt to repair relations with the American workforce.

The earliest Labor Days were observed with street parades to celebrate the contributions of workers, followed by festivals offering recreation and amusement for workers and their families. This tradition has been carried on for over a century, but while we’ve held onto the recreation and amusement aspect, many of us have forgotten what it is that we’re actually celebrating.

Think about the strikes currently going on in Hollywood, with both the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA joining together on the picket lines for what is now a combined more than 150,000 workers on strike. The WGA first began striking back in May, and there is still no end in sight. And what’s more, when we look at the key issues that writers and actors are protesting, there’s a striking resemblance to the issues that 18th century workers were protesting in the early years of Labor Day.?

Job security. Employment protections. Higher pay. All of these things sound painfully familiar. It’s the fight for these rights that inspired the creation of Labor Day to begin with. If we’re still living in a world where these kinds of protests are necessary, there is clearly much more work to be done in advancing workers’ rights. Here are some small actions that employers and individuals can take to change the tides:

Lead with Inclusion

As a working professional, it's important to educate yourself on labor law. Understand the reasons why unions exist, and what they’re advocating for. You may not be in a union, but those who are don’t need your derisive opinion on the matter, especially when you’re uneducated on the subject. It’ll likely involve unlearning any anti-union propaganda that you may have internalized over the years.

And in the case where a strike may be the only option, know your rights to keep yourself protected. Watch out for employers trying to actively suppress a strike or demonstration (NBCUniversal ran into some issues with this just a few weeks ago ). To the extent that’s possible, do what you can to keep yourself safe, both physically and psychologically (check out my recent post about psychological safety for more on this).

Be An Inclusive Leader

Strikes do not come together overnight. These kinds of demonstrations are almost always a last resort. Workers would not choose to go without pay if there were any way to avoid it. Odds are, if your employees are now at the point of organizing a strike, this means that they’ve likely tried multiple other strategies to express their needs and negotiate a solution. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if your employees are striking, it’s safe to say that you’ve likely been ignoring their needs for months or even years.?

As an organizational leader, you’re in a position to stop this kind of situation from escalating further than it needs to. Listen to your employees. Don’t let it get to the point where a strike is the only option. Hold focus groups, review the results of the last 2-3 engagement surveys your company has received and actually take action on the top priorities that are surfaced.?

We’ve unveiled our newest program, Unconscious Inclusion , to help create inclusive workplaces. Preliminary results indicate that participants enrolled in the program are experiencing less instances of offensive behavior in the workplace. We want to increase our sample size and would love you to join our next cohort! Enroll now with your team.

About Stacey Gordon:

Stacey Gordon is Executive Advisor and Founder of Rework Work where she and her team coach and counsel executive leaders on DEI strategies for the business, while offering a no-nonsense approach to unconscious bias education for the broader employee population. As a global keynote speaker, Stacey is a Top Voice on LinkedIn and a popular LinkedIn Learning [IN]structor with nearly two million unique learners enjoying her courses.?