Episodes

3 hours ago
April 3 - To the Mountaintop
3 hours ago
3 hours ago
On this day in Labor History the year was 1968. That was the night that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his now famous “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. He was speaking in support of striking sanitation workers who were members of AFSCME Local 1733.

2 days ago
April 2 - The Union Label
2 days ago
2 days ago
When you go shopping, do you remember to look for the union label? On this day in Labor History the year was 1909.
The American Federation of Labor launched its “Union Label” department

3 days ago
3 days ago
On this day in Labor History the year was 1929.
It was the first day of the strike at the Loray textile mill in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Textile mill workers in the south were paid significantly less than workers in the north

4 days ago
4 days ago
On this day in Labor History the year was 1933. The nation was in the grips of the Great Depression. Long bread lines formed each day in major cities across the nation with at least one in four people out of work. The crisis deepened as the Dust Bowl ravaged US farmland crippling farmers and limiting food production.

4 days ago
4 days ago
The most important word in the language of the working class is ‘solidarity.’”
Those inspiring words were spoken by labor leader Harry Bridges, who died on this day in Labor History the year was 1990.

5 days ago
March 29 - The Beginning of Walmart
5 days ago
5 days ago
On this day in Labor History the year was 1918 and someone was born who would forever change the retail industry in the United States. His name was Sam Walton.
Walton opened his first Walmart store in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas.

7 days ago
March 28 - King’s Last March in Memphis
7 days ago
7 days ago
This is the day in Memphis that marked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final march for Civil Rights.
If you are a regular listener to Labor History in 2, last month you heard about how AFSCME sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike to win union recognition.

Thursday Mar 27, 2025
March 27 - Strike on the Canadian Northern
Thursday Mar 27, 2025
Thursday Mar 27, 2025
On this day in Labor History the year was 1912. Between six and seven thousand workers walked off the job, on strike against the Canadian Northern Railway. Their issues included low pay, worker safety, and the poor quality of food and housing provided by the railroad.

Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
March 26 - Contract Farm Labor During Wartime
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
On this day in Labor History the year was 1943.
The United States was in the midst of fighting World War II.
And by 1943 there were more than 9 million people serving as military personnel.

Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
March 25 - Industrial Murder at Triangle ShirtWaist Factory
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
On this day in Labor History the year was 1911. Marking one the most tragic days in US labor history.