It's time for America's workers to take their power back

This Labor Day, it is important to remember that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot at the American dream: a good job with decent wages to support a family, and the chance to one day retire with dignity. That's not asking for much. But families everywhere are stressing over every expense and stretching every paycheck to cover groceries, rent, health care and electric bills. Nearly four in 10 adults could not cover a $400 emergency expense with money they had on hand. For Black workers and other workers of color, that dream is moving further out of reach. In 2023, Black unemployment fell to historic lows. Today, Black workers are again being hit first and hardest by a weakening economy. Black unemployment climbed to 7 percent in the first half of this year, and Black workers are about twice as likely to be unemployed as white workers. The Federal Reserve found that just 60 percent of Black adults said they were doing OK financially or living comfortably in 2025, down 5 percentage points from the previous year. Black adults also reported more job losses. Meanwhile, the people at the very top are doing better than ever. The AFL-CIO's latest Executive Paywatch report found that the average S&P 500 CEO's compensation was $22.8 million in 2025, up 21 percent from the previous year. And that doesn't include Elon Musk's outrageous $158.3 billion pay package last year. This deepening of economic inequality doesn't just happen—it is a result of intentional policy choices. Labor law in this country has been weakened to the point where it is easier to bust a union than to form one. That's because the rich and powerful don't want a strong labor movement. They know that, industry by industry, workers in unions took on the robber barons and the corporate-backed elite. Unions fight for economic justice and for racial justice. Those fights are not separate. You cannot have true equality if millions of people who work for a living do not have the chance to get ahead. I learned the difference a union can make growing up on the South Side of Chicago. My mother was a domestic worker who took three buses to the suburbs to clean houses and cook meals. My father took any job he could find to support his family. He pumped gas and stocked shelves. We grew up poor. Then, my father got a good union job at an aluminum mill. That union job changed our lives. Suddenly, our family had more security and more opportunity. My parents built a solid middle-class life. My brothers and I saw firsthand what it meant to have a union contract: better pay, affordable health care, retirement security, safer working conditions, fair treatment and a voice on the job. I carried that lesson with me when I became a steelworker, and I have never forgotten it. Millions of union families know exactly what I mean because equity and opportunity are baked into unions—and that difference shows up in workers' paychecks. All Americans experience significant wealth gains from union membership, and the largest benefits occur for families of color and working-class families. Black workers represented by a union earn, on average, 12.6 percent more than their nonunion Black peers. Latino workers represented by unions earn 16.4 percent more.Today, roughly two-thirds of workers in unions are women or people of color. Black workers continue to have the highest unionization rate of any major racial or ethnic group. And in 2025, workers of color accounted for most of the growth in union representation. Across the board, more workers are choosing unions. In 2025, union representation grew by 463,000 workers to 16.5 million, the highest number in 16 years. Workers know it's better in a union, and we won't give up on the fight to ensure everyone who wants to organize and join a union can do so. This fall, we're taking working power beyond the workplace. Tens of thousands of union volunteers will contact millions of union voters at their doors, on the phone, at worksites and online. Those conversations are at the heart of the AFL-CIO's election program. In an era of AI advertising and billionaires flooding the airwaves with lies, there's simply no substitute for person-to-person contact and talking with your neighbors. Every day, union members have conversations about what matters in their lives and for their families. That's what the labor movement does best, and that's what will make the difference on Election Day. I have spent more than 50 years in the labor movement, and I still believe—now more than ever—what I learned as a young steelworker in Chicago: We are strongest when we stand together. That is how my family got a fair shot at the American dream. It is how generations of Black workers and working people of every race built America's middle class. And it is how we will make sure the American dream is within reach for the next generation. Fred Redmond, the highest-ranking African American labor official in history, is the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, representing 65 unions and nearly 15 million workers. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own. Related Articles Start your unlimited Newsweek trial