More Than a Day Off: How Labor Day and Unions Support Mental Well-Being by Jason La Kier, MS
- mason9194
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
Labor Day is, for many, the official end of Summer and the start of school–but it’s also a testament to the power of unions, organized labor, and how vital community is to protect your mental health. According to the US Department of Labor, Labor Day was declared a national holiday in 1894 as a way to recognize the efforts of the working-class laborers of the country. The first Labor Day parade, and the proposal for the holiday to become a national event, came from the Central Labor Union in New York. You may be surprised to learn that unions actually have a significant effect on mental health, beyond just getting you a day off of work every year!
Many of the standards that workers in America now expect are results of labor organizing and unions fighting for worker’s rights. The 40-hour workweek and associated overtime pay, an end to child labor, and a minimum wage were all established in the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 after decades of activism by groups like the National Labor Union, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, the American Federation of Labor, and countless other organizations large and small. In addition to working towards a better quality of life for workers, union organizations may actively improve the mental health of workers, according to research.
Researchers Kromydas et al.(2025), found that the presence of a union in a workplace was associated with less distress during the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of whether an individual was personally a member of the union. Wels (2020) found a similar effect of union presence on mental health in a longitudinal study of data collected over the course of eight years. It appears that it’s supportive to mental health to have organized labor groups like unions present in the environment, due to the many different protective factors they can have for workers.
So, this Labor Day, if you have some spare time on a day off, it may be worthwhile to think about how your own workplace could better support your mental health. Does your workplace provide an EAP, and what mental health concerns does it cover? Are you eligible for FMLA protected leave in case of a crisis? Is there a union for your profession, and does it have a presence at your workplace? Doing your research and reaching out to relevant groups like the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) or the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) might make a bigger difference in your mental health than you’d think!
References & Resources
Kromydas, T., Demou, E., Leyland, A. H., Katikireddi, S. V., & Wels, J. (2025). Did trade unions protect employees' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic? A mixed effects model using UK data from Understanding Society. BMJ public health, 3(1), e001756.
Jacques Wels,The role of labour unions in explaining workers’ mental and physical health in Great Britain. A longitudinal approach, Social Science & Medicine, Volume 247, 2020, 112796, ISSN 0277-9536,
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