 Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend. Oh no, not that one. That one. Why do we have it? The short answer is, unions. In the late 19th century, many workers labored seven days a week, sometimes up to a grueling 100 hours in poor conditions. Workers were fed up. Many began to unionize and take to the streets in protest. Violence against them at the hands of corporate union busters and law enforcement was common. Many lost their lives, but they didn't relent. Organized labor kept up the pressure. Workers in the mining, printing, and railroad industries eventually won eight-hour workdays. Major corporations, most notably Ford Motor Company, began to heed the calls to institute five-day workweeks. But most workers across the country were not guaranteed these benefits. Then came Francis Perkins, resident Franklin D. Roosevelt's labor secretary and the first woman cabinet secretary. Before agreeing to the position, Perkins met with FDR to secure a guarantee that he would support her pro-labor agenda. To her surprise, FDR backed her. In 1938, thanks to her advocacy and the momentum built by organized labor, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which, among other things, ultimately established a 40-hour workweek by forcing employers to pay time and a half for any hours worked beyond this limit, and thus created the weekend. While many workers now enjoy weekends won by organized labor, the fight continues for those who don't. A rising number of contract employees, sometimes known as gig workers, are putting in back-breaking hours without the protections afforded to full-time workers. Now is the time to renew the historic call of unions to make sure all workers are afforded the dignity and time off from work they deserve. And who knows? Maybe one day we'll move to a three-day weekend.