Labor History in 2:00

On this day in Labor History the year was 1941. That was the day that the completed Mount Rushmore monument was dedicated in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The monument portrays massive sculptures of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt hewn into the side of a mountain.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1986. That was the day that Edward Meese, gave a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce. Meese was serving as Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan. During the speech, Meese encouraged bosses to spy on their employees, in order to determine if they were using drugs.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1929. That bleak day is now known as “Black Tuesday,” the day of the Stock Market crash that marked the start of the Great Depression. During the optimistic Roaring Twenties investments in the Stock Market soared.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1965. That was the day that the St. Louis Gateway arch was completed in St. Louis. The project was the result of a nation-wide design competition. 

On this day in Labor History the year was 1951. That was the day that the National Negro Labor Council held its founding convention. African American workers had made significant gains in the American workforce during World War II.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1825. That was the day the construction of the Erie Canal was completed. 

The 363 mile canal connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, by way of the Hudson River. The project was started in 1817. 

On this day in Labor History the year was 2002.  That was the day that the working people of the United States lost one of their greatest champions in Washington.  Two-term Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone died tragically in a plane crash.  

On this day in Labor History the year was 1934.  That was the day that the first minimum wage law went into effect in the United States. The minimum was twenty-five cents an hour. The wage law was part of the Fair Labor Standards Act passed earlier that year.   

On this day in Labor History the year was 1989.  At 1:05 in the afternoon a massive explosion rocked the town of Pasadena, Texas, near Houston. The explosion was so large it registered as a 3.5 on the Richter scale, used to measure earthquakes. 

On this day in Labor History the year was 1981. The United States Federal Labor Relations Authority voted to decertify Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. The PATCO union had gone on strike earlier that year over wages, hours, and working conditions.