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37 Reasons to Thank the Labor Movement

The labor movement in the U.S. grew out of the need to protect the interests of workers. Work was hell, so some badasses in the industrial sector organized labor unions and fought for better wages, safer working conditions, and reasonable hours.


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Efforts of the movement led to the ending of child labor, the granting of health benefits, and aid to workers who were injured or retired.


Strikes happened all over, but the earliest recorded one happened in 1798 when New York journeymen tailors protested a wage reduction.

And because of them, we have it pretty sweet. Here's 37 reasons to thank the labor movement.


  1. Weekends without work

  2. All breaks at work, including your lunch breaks

  3. Paid vacation

  4. Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

  5. Sick leave

  6. Social Security

  7. Minimum wage

  8. Civil Rights Act/Title VII - prohibits employer discrimination

  9. 8-hour work day

  10. Overtime pay

  11. Child labor laws

  12. Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)

  13. 40-hour work week

  14. Workers' compensation (workers' comp)

  15. Unemployment insurance

  16. Pensions

  17. Workplace safety standards and regulations

  18. Employer health care insurance

  19. Collective bargaining rights for employees

  20. Wrongful termination laws

  21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)

  22. Whistleblower protection laws

  23. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) - prohibits employers from using a lie detector test on an employee

  24. Veteran's Employment and Training Services (VETS)

  25. Compensation increases and evaluations (i.e. raises)

  26. Sexual harassment laws

  27. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

  28. Holiday pay

  29. Employer dental, life, and vision insurance

  30. Privacy rights

  31. Pregnancy and parental leave

  32. Military leave

  33. The right to strike

  34. Public education for children

  35. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 - requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work

  36. Laws ending sweatshops in the United States

  37. Sunday Funday

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