Labor Day is often treated as the unofficial end of summer—a final long weekend before vacations give way to school schedules and the faster pace of fall.

But its deeper purpose is to recognize the people whose work keeps the country moving and the labor movement that helped shape modern American life.

The weekend, the eight-hour workday, overtime pay, safer workplaces, and many other protections were secured through generations of workers joining together. Unions gave people a collective voice and helped establish the basic idea that economic progress should improve the lives of those whose labor makes it possible.

That history includes leaders like Dolores Huerta, who organized farmworkers too often overlooked despite performing essential work. Her words, “Sí, se puede,” captured a belief that has reached far beyond any single campaign: meaningful change becomes possible when people act together.

Gloria Steinem brought that same determination to the women’s movement, drawing attention to the barriers women faced at work, at home, and throughout society. As we remember her life and passing, we also remember the many ways her work helped expand opportunities for the generations that followed.

The workplace continues to evolve. Remote work, flexible schedules, automation, and even discussions about four-day workweeks are changing how Americans think about their jobs and their time. There will not be one model that works for every person, employer, or industry. What matters is that workers have a meaningful voice in the decisions affecting their lives.

Labor Day gives us an opportunity to appreciate how far working Americans have come while recognizing that the story is still being written.

So enjoy the cookout, the parade, or simply the extra time with family. But take a moment to remember the workers, organizers, and advocates who made that time possible—and those who continue working today.

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Candidate for Norfolk County, MA, District Attorney

Jim J. Barakat is a proud resident of Braintree, MA - Norfolk County, a husband, and a father to two beautiful young girls. He has been defending families, the marginalized, and the accused within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for over a decade. As a public defense attorney, Jim is an outlier in a race of prosecutors, establishment talking heads, and career politicians.