KURT PETERMEYER: Honoring labor’s history, paving its future

For many, 136 years of history have clouded the reasons behind the Labor Day holiday. More than a time for cookouts, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation in 1894 that set aside the first Monday in September to recognize U.S. workers’ contributions to the nation’s strength, prosperity and well-being.

The holiday celebrates how America’s workforce has raised the nation’s standard of living and provided the labor that historically has made U.S. production the envy of the world. Backed by the organized labor movement, workers have fought and, in some cases, died for better wages, safer workplaces and paid benefits for all workers. These sacrifices fueled movements that eventually led to the creation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in 1938 and its Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1971.

It brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. Based on these accomplishments, the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom and leadership — the American worker.

These gains notwithstanding, there’s still more to do. Thousands of people suffer fatal injuries on the job each year, and many more are injured in incidents that could be prevented if their employers established safety and health as a core value and followed federal workplace safety standards. In workplaces around the nation, people are working in conditions that expose them to risks of serious injuries or worse: construction workers are exposed to deadly falls; health care workers are threatened by patients; warehouse workers risk suffering ailments from repeatedly moving merchandise, and temporary farmworkers face threats and unsafe living conditions in exchange for hours of hard work tending to crops in the hot sun.

Notably, we have seen an increased number of young people and even children working in dangerous conditions, almost 100 years after federal child labor protections became law.

Issues like these can and must be addressed. Amid its many functions, the department exists to enforce the rights of everyone and ensure safety and health protections are applied equally to all who work in the U.S. These include the right to a safe workplace and the right to be paid full wages and benefits. When these rights are violated, the department acts to uphold the law and hold employers accountable when they disregard their obligations.

As many of us enjoy a day off this Labor Day, reflect on how much better your working conditions are because of the workers who came before you and who demanded change. We owe these people our commitment to do our part to make sure all U.S. workers receive all their hard-earned wages and that no one ever has to jeopardize their safety, or life, in return for a paycheck.