As Labor Day 2025 approaches, the nation finds itself at a crossroads, with the meaning of this historic holiday more contested than ever. Traditionally a time to celebrate the achievements and rights of American workers, this year’s Labor Day falls amidst an intensifying battle over the future of unions, the role of government in labor relations, and the international reach of the U.S. labor movement.
On Monday, September 1, the AFL-CIO—the country’s largest federation of labor unions, representing over 15 million workers—will spearhead more than 1,000 protests across all 50 states. Under the rallying cry “Workers Over Billionaires,” these demonstrations are designed to highlight the power of collective action and to push back against what many see as a relentless assault on workers’ rights under President Trump’s administration. According to AS, the AFL-CIO describes the actions as “a peaceful celebration of the power we hold when we stand together in a union,” with the hope that the event will inspire workers to “take back our country for working people, not corporate CEOs or billionaires.”
Liz Shuler, the first woman to lead the AFL-CIO, recently underscored the significance of this year’s Labor Day in an interview reported by Jen Psaki’s podcast. “The Trump administration has been ruthlessly anti-union from the first day of Trump’s second term,” Shuler said, adding that “his aggression towards workers’ rights proves, at least to some extent, that he knows the power of the people is greater than the people in power.” For Shuler and many in the labor movement, the holiday is not just about barbecues and parades—it’s a moment to reflect on the hard-won rights of working people and the ongoing struggle to defend them.
But the context of this year’s activism is anything but ordinary. The Trump administration’s actions have drawn sharp criticism from labor leaders and progressive organizations alike. One of the most contentious moves came just days after Trump’s inauguration for his second term, when he fired Gwynne Wilcox, a Biden appointee to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). As AS notes, Wilcox has challenged her dismissal as illegal, citing federal law that only allows the president to remove a board member for “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” The subsequent expiration of Lauren McFerran’s term in December 2024 left the NLRB without the three members required for a quorum, effectively paralyzing the board’s ability to review labor cases.
Currently, only David M. Prouty—another Biden appointee—remains on the board, with his term set to expire in August 2026. In July, President Trump nominated two new members: Scott Mayer, Boeing’s chief labor counsel, and James Murphy, a former NLRB attorney. If confirmed, they will create a Republican-majority board by year’s end, a shift that labor advocates fear could further erode protections for workers. As of now, confirmation hearings for Mayer and Murphy have not been scheduled.
The legal battle over the NLRB’s very existence has also escalated. Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with SpaceX in a case challenging the board’s constitutionality. The court ruled that SpaceX had been “irreparably harmed” by provisions that limit the president’s authority to fire NLRB members. SpaceX contends that the NLRB is unconstitutional and has operated illegally for its 90-year history due to these restrictions. According to AS, this is the first time a president has attempted to fire an NLRB member, and the case is likely headed to the Supreme Court, where a Republican majority could potentially upend the National Labor Relations Act itself.
Yet not all criticism is directed solely at the Trump administration. The Labor Education Project on AFL-CIO International Operations (LEPAIO), a left-wing labor watchdog, has issued a scathing indictment of the AFL-CIO’s foreign policy and its relationship with the U.S. government. In a statement released on August 29, 2025, LEPAIO accused the AFL-CIO of collaborating with the Trump administration and U.S. imperialism, particularly through its long-standing partnership with the Israeli Histadrut and its involvement in U.S.-backed foreign interventions. According to LEPAIO, the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center receives significant funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with an estimated 52% of its 2025 fiscal year budget—about $39.5 million—coming from NED. The Solidarity Center’s annual budget is approximately $78 million.
LEPAIO’s statement goes further, charging that “the AFL-CIO has conducted a foreign policy since the late 1890s that has advanced U.S. government interests, although it has NEVER once given an honest report of these operations to its members that can be verified by independent researchers.” The group cites the AFL-CIO’s alleged participation in the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Guatemala (1954), Brazil (1973), and Chile (1973), as well as support for a failed coup in Venezuela in 2002 and backing of authoritarian regimes in East Asia and Africa. “The NED funding freeze is an existential threat to the Solidarity Center’s mission, its partners, and the workers we serve,” declared Shawna Bader-Blau, head of the Solidarity Center, in a court filing earlier this year.
These international controversies have added fuel to the debate over the AFL-CIO’s role at home and abroad. LEPAIO’s call for “true international solidarity in order to fight the genocidal capitalist class” and for workers “to run society for the good of all” reflects a more radical vision of labor’s future—one that sees the current trajectory as leading to environmental collapse or war unless fundamental changes are made.
Meanwhile, the AFL-CIO and its allies are focused on mobilizing workers and the public around immediate threats to labor rights. Organizers hope to match or exceed the crowds seen at July’s “No Kings” protests, which were held in response to President Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C. They’re encouraging people to use the AFL-CIO’s online locator tool to find the nearest demonstration. The message is clear: the fight for workers’ rights is both local and global, and the stakes have rarely been higher.
As the nation heads into Labor Day weekend, the questions swirling around the future of organized labor, the independence of the NLRB, and the AFL-CIO’s international entanglements remain unresolved. But for millions of workers, the call to action is unmistakable—and the outcome of this struggle will shape the labor movement for years to come.
