American workers stand at a perilous crossroads, with their health and well-being hanging in the balance. Over decades, a deliberate erosion of worker protections has created a system where corporate profits routinely outweigh human health. The devastating toll of this imbalance is stark and shameful.
Tax policies favoring the wealthy, deregulation of safety standards, weakened labor unions, and corporate-friendly trade agreements have tilted economic and political power away from workers. Unsurprisingly, union membership has fallen from 35 percent in the 1950s to under 11 percent today, while CEO pay has skyrocketed—from 20 times the average worker’s in 1965 to over 350 times today.
This power shift hasn’t just changed paychecks—it has fundamentally altered the physical and mental health landscape for millions of Americans. U.S. life expectancy has declined, especially for working age populations, and has fallen well behind other high-income countries, such as the United Kingdom. Chronic diseases now affect six in ten U.S. workers. Each year, workplace conditions lead to more than 5,000 preventable deaths from injuries and 2.6 million nonfatal illnesses.
Work stress and workplace policies (including unemployment and lack of health insurance) are major causes of death, responsible for 120,000 fatalities per year, more than caused by Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, or kidney disease. And, a staggering 77 percent of workers report experiencing work-related stress, while 57 percent indicate that this stress negatively affects their health, leading to symptoms of burnout.
These trends are all inextricably linked to working conditions. But the widespread failure to recognize how profoundly the workplace shapes health has served to preclude needed progress and reforms. When workers face excessive demands, inadequate support, long hours, time pressure, lack of autonomy, work-life conflict, job insecurity, and hostile environments—including bullying, harassment, and even violence—they experience chronic stress that harms mental health, cardiovascular health, immune function, increasing the likelihood of chronic diseases, from hypertension to obesity and diabetes.
The vast power imbalance between employers and employees has meant many workers have little recourse to change these working conditions. This health burden falls disproportionately on vulnerable populations. Those holding low-wage jobs or positions disproportionately held by racial minorities experience greater psychosocial stressors—including job instability, work-life imbalance, and workplace discrimination.
It is against this already dire backdrop that the Trump administration is mounting a full-scale assault on worker health and safety—an attack that threatens to accelerate and deepen the health crisis already confronting the American worker.
Trump’s dismantling of worker rights and protections undermines worker health
The Trump administration’s approach to workers and their rights reflects a fundamental devaluing of their health and humanity. The “Musk ethos” of pushing employees until they break has seeped into federal governance—prioritizing speed, profit, and power over safety, dignity, and fairness.
Taken together, these attacks are multifaceted and deeply damaging:
- Mass terminations: Over 36,000 federal workers have been laid off through the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
- Gutting of protective agencies: Key worker health and safety agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have been defunded, weakened, and even decimated.
- Elimination of DEI programs: Stripping away Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives fuel workplace injustice, weaken protections for the most vulnerable, and harm the health of already marginalized workers.
- Hostile immigration policies: Mass deportations destabilize entire industries, creating economic chaos and escalating fear, stress, and job insecurity for employers and workers alike.
- Attacks on unions and collective bargaining: With collective bargaining rights being eliminated for 75 percent of the roughly 1.6 million federal employees, negotiating better wages, benefits, and healthier working conditions will be increasingly difficult.
These aren’t abstract policy shifts—they translate into real-world harms like more preventable deaths and injuries, higher rates of chronic diseases, and worsening mental health, all of which remain glaringly absent from our national discourse.
Weaponizing job insecurity to instill fear doesn’t boost productivity—it crushes human health, erodes dignity, and deepens inequality. And the consequences don’t stop at the workplace: the suffering ripples outward, undermining family well-being, deteriorating community health, and weakening the social fabric that allows shared economic prosperity.
Worker power is rising. Let’s not leave health behind.
A powerful worker-centered resistance is gaining momentum. The Federal Unionists Network has organized over 30 rallies across the country, while union membership has surged in some federal agencies as workers seek protection. Progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, long-time champions of workers’ rights, are drawing crowds in the tens of thousands. On April 5th, millions of Americans turned out for “Hands Off!” demonstrations in over 1,400 cities, demanding policies that put workers first.
The resurgence of labor power is also seen in movements like “Striketober” and successful union drives at United Auto Workers, the Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild of America, and Starbucks, proving that when committed and organized, labor campaigns can take on even the most powerful employers – and win. And with 70 percent of Americans expressing support for unions—the highest rate since 1981, according to a 2024 Gallup poll—public sentiment is firmly behind the labor movement.
These are hopeful developments, and a testament to the growing power of workers. But there’s still a troubling disconnect—especially in public discourse and media coverage—between these mobilizations and what’s ultimately at stake: the physical and mental health of workers, their families, and their communities. Until we make this cause-and-effect relationship unmistakably clear, the urgency and scope of what’s being fought for will remain underestimated—and real change will remain out of reach.
The path forward: Healthier workplaces, healthier workers, and a healthier economy
Creating healthy workplaces requires both political will and systemic change. Our society—especially the medical profession—must confront an uncomfortable truth: today’s working conditions are making people sick. To reverse this trend and build a system that prioritizes worker health, we must:
- Reform policy to explicitly link labor protections with health outcomes, strengthen labor rights, and support unions;
- Restore and protect federal agencies like OSHA and NIOSH;
- Push the medical profession to recognize work-related illness as the result of systemic issues, not personal choices;
- Advance workplace equity initiatives to reduce stress and health risks for marginalized workers;
- Use workplace assessment tools to identify stressors, track health outcomes, and partner with workers to create healthier environments; and
- Build coalitions among unions, health advocates, and community groups to demand justice and shift our culture to value people over profits.
It’s also time for businesses to recognize that protecting worker health isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart investment. Healthier workplaces lead to greater productivity, less turnover, fewer sick days, and stronger performance. Supporting worker well-being benefits everyone—from front-line workers to the bottom line.
Conclusion
A healthy workforce is the backbone of a thriving society. Prioritizing worker health and safety strengthens not only individual lives, but our entire economic and social fabric. Workplace conditions shape dignity, well-being, and our shared prosperity. The policies we enact today will define the conditions—and the health—of millions of workers for generations. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Worker health is not a luxury or an afterthought—it is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of a just and equitable economy. We have the tools, the knowledge, and the responsibility to act. The time to create workplaces that don’t just sustain us—but allow us all to truly thrive—is now.
The Healthy Work Campaign (HWC) is a public health campaign of the Center for Social Epidemiology focused on raising awareness in the U.S. about the health impacts of work stress on working people.
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