This weekend I found myself making an assumption that, like me, the rest of the working world was offered the opportunity to take the day off on Monday — Labor Day — and mourn (or celebrate, if you’ve already got your pumpkins and sweaters out) the symbolic end of summer.

As I explored a new (to me) city, wandering up and down its streets in search of cute shops and cozy coffee spots that were actually open on Labor Day, I reflected on two things: how privileged I was to have this time, and how grateful I was for those who were working so that I could have this time.

It made me wonder about the women in labor history that took on the burden before me of fighting for labor rights. Women like Sarah Bagley, who organized textile workers and petitioned Massachusetts lawmakers for a 10-hour work day in 1843, nearly 50 years before Labor Day became a federal holiday. Or the group of women shoemakers who organized the country’s first national women’s labor union in 1869. Or the women who pushed for the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a Women’s Bureau in 1920, which worked to promote the passage of legislation to protect working women.

While as working women we have a lot of victories to celebrate (such as setting a record this year for the highest number of female chief executives spearheading America’s largest companies), the fight for labor rights among women continues to this day. That includes the fight for equal pay, the fight to have more women in the C-suite, and the fight for a fair paid family leave policy.

What female labor victories are you reflecting on this week? Drop me a note at malbiges@napco.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this critical topic.