Labor History in 2:00

January 14 - Bricklayers Fight for the Eight Hour Day

On this day in Labor History the year was 1868. Representatives of more than forty locals of the International Union of Bricklayers of North America gathered in New York City. It was the third annual convention of the new union.  

January 13 - The Fight for a Voice

On this day in Labor History the year was 1893. That was the day that 120 delegates met in Bradford, England to form the Independent Labor Party. The goal of this political party was to get more candidates that represented the interests of working people elected to the British Parliament.  

January 12 - The Push Toward Industrial Peace

On this day in Labor History the year was 1942.  That was the day the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt reestablished the National War Labor Board.  Just a little over a month before the United States had entered World War II.  

January 11 - Bread, Yes. But Roses Too!

On this day in Labor History the year was 1912. That was the day a strike launched one of the most iconic rallying cries of the U.S. Labor Movement. Twenty thousand, mostly women workers, in the Lawrence, Massachusetts textile mills began what came to be known as the “Bread and Roses” strike.   

January 10 - The Day the Mill Collapsed

On this day in Labor history the year was 1860. It was a day of tragedy as The Pemberton Mill collapsed in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  The collapse of the five-story textile mill was one of the worst workplace disasters in U.S. history.  

January 9 - Keeping Workers Safe

Do national security concerns outweigh the right of workers to form a union?  That question was being debated.

On this day in Labor History, the year was 2003. The head of the Transportation Security Administration, James Loy, made the case that collective bargaining would be an impediment to the war on terrorism.  

January 8 - Taking Care of Our Own

On this day in Labor History the year was 1939. That was the day a new radio show began on CBS radio.  

The show featured some of the biggest names in Hollywood.  

January 7 - The Original Chrysler Bailout

On this day in Labor History the year was 1980.  That was the day the President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act.  The act allowed the federal government to guarantee up to one-and-a-half billion dollars in loans to aid the failing Chrysler corporation.  

January 6 - The Four Freedoms

On this day in Labor History the year was 1941. That was the day that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech that would become one of the defining moments of his presidency.  The world was embroiled in the Second World War.  

January 5 - Embarking on a Great Creation

On this day in Labor History the year was 1933. 

That was the day that construction on one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States—the Golden Gate Bridge, began. 

The bridge was built during the height of the Great Depression.