This paper examines the crucial role national labor unions played in the implementation of a minimum wage in the United States. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, union membership was widespread and deeply influential. Vastly exceeding today’s numbers, unionized workers organized effectively to challenge exploitative labor conditions. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) established a federal minimum wage in response to these conditions. While contemporary scholarship often credits President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, such focus overlooks the sustained pressure of organized labor. Strikes, sit-ins, and collective actions–including the Haymarket Affair (1886) and Pullman Strike (1894)–generated public and political urgency. This paper highlights how national unions like the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations amplified these local movements, coordinated lobbying efforts, and helped secure legislative action. Their influence shaped the FLSA and redefined labor standards for future generations of American workers.