This coming weekend we celebrate Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. Students return to school, the weather begins to turn cooler and days grow shorter. Yet Labor Day is about just that: labor. It’s a day to celebrate the workforce and acknowledge the work carried out year-round.

This year, Labor Day is, perhaps, more poignant than ever. This summer has been called hot strike summer and hot labor summer. Workers have gone on strike for better working conditions and better pay in industries ranging from Hollywood writers to UPS drivers. Unions have formed at Starbucks franchises and Amazon warehouses.

These movements are at the heart of the Labor Day holiday’s origins—celebrating the strength of the American trade and labor organizations. It was unions and labor organizers who gave us the rights we so often take for granted today, like overtime pay and weekends. Labor advocates got safety measures put into place and brought us social security.

They fought for fair pay for the labor they provided, an issue that continues to resonate. Today, some of our own employees are struggling to make ends meet. That is why USDA and Forest Service leadership are working with Congress on long-term solutions for a permanent, competitive and equitable pay structure for our wildland firefighters. It is why I assigned a housing team to study and develop solutions for housing costs and shortages in the communities we serve. We are making progress to address many of these issues, and I will be talking about them more in the very near future.

This Labor Day, remember that the labor we are recognizing is provided by each and every one of you. Your public service, your dedication to our mission and the communities and partners we serve is, quite simply, exceptional. Thank you for all you do every day to steward the nation’s forests and grasslands in service to the American people. Enjoy your well-deserved time off with family and friends or solo, decompress and stay safe.

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