Labor Day, observed on the first Monday in September, is more than a long weekend. In West Virginia it reads as a patriotic holiday — one rooted in the idea that building the nation deserves dignity, safety and a fair shot — powerful enough to make even longtime critics of unions pause and consider how those standards came to be.

The state’s role in that story stretches back to the late 19th century, when industrial growth collided with pay cuts, long hours and unsafe work. In 1877, a railroad walkout in Martinsburg helped ignite a wave of strikes across the country and made clear that disputes over wages and scheduling could quickly become national questions. Through the 1880s and 1890s, parades and picnics celebrating “labor’s day” spread in American cities; Congress made Labor Day a fe

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