9.01.25 – Labor Day 2025: Our Rights, Our Fight

Monday, September 1, 2025

Our Rights, Our Fight

Organizing On the Rise

Union organizing is gaining momentum across the United States. Since 2021, petitions for Union elections filed with the NLRB have more than doubled. At the same time, public support for Unions has climbed to 70%—the highest level in nearly six decades. This surge reflects a clear demand from working people for stronger wages, safer workplaces, and the dignity every Worker deserves.

Despite the majority of non-Union Workers expressing a desire for Union representation, only 11.1% were covered by a Union contract in 2024. Among approximately 128.5 million wage and salary Workers not in Unions, about 61.7 million indicated they would like to join a Union.

At American Airlines, 85% of employees are unionized—a level of solidarity that sets us apart in today’s workforce. For Flight Attendants throughout the industry, our Union roots run deep, tracing back to the mid-1940s when we first organized to secure a voice on the job.

But we can no longer take these hard-won protections and Union representation for granted. Across the country, powerful interests and hostile politicians are working overtime to weaken Unions, strip away bargaining rights, and silence Workers’ voices. Every contract we secure, every right we defend, exists because Union Members stood together and fought for it. Now more than ever, we must stay united, protect what we’ve built, and push back against every attempt to undermine our power.

New Executive Orders Escalate War on Union Workers

The Trump administration continues its all-out war on Workers and Unions. Just days before Labor Day, this administration expanded its March executive order to rip away collective bargaining rights from thousands of federal workers at agencies like NASA, the National Weather Service, NOAA, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and more. This is not about efficiency—it’s about silencing Workers, weakening Unions, and stripping away our power.

Black Americans Lead Fight to Unionize First Whole Foods Store in Philadelphia

In early 2023, Workers at a Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia decided to unionize, taking a big step toward better working conditions and fair pay. On January 28, 2025, they made history as the first Whole Foods Market store to successfully unionize. The movement was led by Black Workers, including Mase Veney, a 26-year-old who worked in produce, and Khyania Adams, a 32-year-old chef who jumped in just two months after starting her job at Whole Foods.

Black Americans have been crucial to labor movements since the 1830s, including their leadership in a significant strike at the Washington Navy Yard. As Adams noted, “Organized labor Unions empowered Black Americans with a stronger voice,” highlighting their vital role in securing workplace protections.

This Labor Day, APFA honors the workers who came before us and fought for the rights we have today. As attacks on Workers continue, we stand united to defend our rights, uplift frontline Workers, and shape a stronger future together.

Solidarity is our power—and together, we will win.

Join the Fight Today!

Click the image below to find a Labor Day demonstration near you: