Rising tensions between employers and employees have put the labor back in this year’s Labor Day

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Labor Day is right around the corner. And while many may associate the holiday with major retail sales and end-of summer barbecues, Labor Day’s roots in worker-driven organizing feel especially visible this year. In the U.S. and Canada, the early-September tribute to workers has been an official holiday for almost 130 years — but similarities around the world of work remain, from rapid economic transformation to stark inequalities. High-profile efforts seen in recent months — including ongoing strikes in Hollywood and unionized UPS workers’ fight towards a new contract — has also given an arguably stronger spotlight on labor organizing than seen in recent memory, experts say.