Labor Day: a celebration of worker power

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Even though most schools start in mid-August these days, most people hold on to Labor Day as the traditional end of summer. This national holiday may mean one last trip to the beach or lake, one last cookout with popsicles. For union members, the day evokes more—not just a recognition but also a celebration of working people and the contributions of unions to this country, including the long weekend we are all about to enjoy. 

The first major observance came in New York City in 1882, when the Central Labor Union organized a parade and picnic that highlighted worker solidarity and the growing strength of organized labor. As more states adopted the holiday, labor leaders kept pressing for national recognition, and Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. Union membership was at its height in the decade after World War II, when about 1 in 3 workers were a part of a union. Today that number hovers around 10% of the workforce, with educators and support personnel making up by far the largest block, 4.7 of 14.7 million members. 

There has been some recent research and press that try to convince the public that unions are losing their influence and efficacy. In May, the Fordham Institute (historically reform forward, pro-accountability, and pro-school choice) published an update to their 2012 state-by-state report on the comparative strength of teachers’ unions. With laws against strikes and collective bargaining, Texas’ power has been artificially depressed in some of the areas that this report measures. But in spite of these structural disadvantages, Texas AFT (along with other teacher organizations) is still able to punch above its weight and achieve wins for its members in the legislature. 

It has also been suggested that being pro-union is antithetical to being pro-education and a fundamental misalignment exists between member interests and student interests. Yes, unions advocate for the interests of their members, but Texas AFT has long taken the stance that what is good for students is good for teachers and vice versa. In 2025, the teacher pay penalty stood at an estimated 25.2%, meaning teachers earned about a quarter less than comparable college graduates in other professions. And in Texas, the average teacher still earns $10,700 below the national average. With this kind of disparity, fighting for our members is the education equivalent of putting our oxygen mask on first. We show up for teachers so they can show up for kids. 

We can’t help but wonder if some of this anti-union and anti-teacher bluster is related to unions enjoying significant growth and perceived favorability in recent years.  

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, in her State of the Unions address on Tuesday shared that Over half a million workers, mostly under 40, joined a union in the last year. She also stated the goal of adding more than one million members to the organization over each of the next two years. 

New Gallup polling finds that 71% of people in the U.S. approve of unions, continuing the highest period of favorability in over 60 years. This coincides with the greatest number of workers represented by a union in 16 years. Just this week, the Economic Policy Institute reported that 56 million U.S. workers would join a union tomorrow if they could and 43% of nonunion workers would vote to unionize their workplace if given the opportunity. Unions don’t just advocate for higher wages and safer and healthier workplaces; our work strengthens democracy by boosting civic participation and holding institutions and employers accountable for their actions toward workers. Across geographies and industries, workers are reconnecting with the power of collective activism.

This isn’t just rhetoric. States with stronger unions post stronger wins for workers. The top 5 strongest teacher union states (according to the Fordham research) boast an average teacher salary of $85,862, ~$10k above the national average and $20k over Texas average. In states with bargaining laws covering education support personnel (ESPs), average earnings were 15% higher for K-12 ESPs and 9% higher for higher education support staff. And we must offer the last with the caveat that no state pays their support staff a living wage according to their relative state cost of living. 

There is still so much to be done in Texas to ensure our schools deliver on the promise of a great public education for all students. With less than 60 days until November, that work begins in earnest, now. 

Enjoy one last long weekend; with back to school in the rearview and the still oppressive Texas heat, you’ve earned it. But as you scarf one last hot dog, remember that beneath the seasonal meaning of Labor Day is a deeper history of collective action—a tribute to the idea that ordinary workers, when organized together, can change laws, shift norms, and win fairness that would be hard to secure alone.