On the first Monday of every September, our nation honors the contributions and sacrifices of millions of working men and women. Labor Day is about remembering labor’s triumphs and the workers without whom society would not function. But it’s also about solidarity and celebrating our movement—a movement that today is alive and well and still fighting for a strong middle class.

The labor movement, and the Teamsters Union in particular, is alive and well and is still forcing change. Labor is behind the movement to raise the minimum wage and shining a spotlight on income inequality. And the Teamsters Union is still organizing new members. Many workers know that unions are the key to a better life, and Labor Day is a time to remind everyone else about that fact. That’s why the Teamsters Union has organized more than 40,000 school bus workers in the last few years; why nearly 600 paratransit drivers in Chicago and hundreds more parking workers in Boston just joined the Teamsters; why thousands of taxi drivers nationwide are forming associations with the Teamsters.

For far too many people, Labor Day is seen simply as a day of rest. But for a growing set of U.S. workers, there is no break from trying to earn enough to support their families. Despite a dip in unemployment during the past few years, low pay continues to plague many employees while their corporate bosses rake in record profits.

The roots of the American middle class' economic decline are decades in the making. Spurred by a decline inunion membership, fewer manufacturing jobs and an increase in the service economy, it has gotten harder and harder for workers to make ends meet. And those changes have been exacerbated by trade deals likeNAFTA that have led to more than a million lost jobs.

Improving the outlook for U.S workers isn't about creating millions of minimum-wage jobs. It is about creating sustainable, skilled employment that allows Americans to earn a fair wage with benefits that allows them to pay for housing and food on the table and sustain a middle-class lifestyle.

Corporations are increasingly looking to friendly lawmakers on the Hill who are only too happy to reduce the "burden" on billionaires while rank-and-file workers suffer. Despite being a nation that gave birth to the epic failed energy conglomerate Enron Corp. and mega-banks that drove the U.S. into a recession and threaten to do so again, for too many in Congress, there is no limit to obstacles they will hurdle for their corporate cronies.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the average worker. That's why we have tobacco field workers living in squalor and getting sick and injured while working for the minimum wage in North Carolina. That's why we have fast-food workers who are victimized by successful companies allegedly stealing their wages. And it is why we have thousands of low-wage workers taking to the streets over and over again to say enough.

Hardworking Americans find themselves at a crossroads. With the November elections looming, they need to carefully consider their options to help turn the U.S. economy in a positive direction. It starts with backing candidates who place the people above the powerful.