Episodes
Thursday Jul 21, 2016
July 21 The Crazy Eights
Thursday Jul 21, 2016
Thursday Jul 21, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1878. That was the day that a new song was introduced to the US labor movement. Reverend Jesse H. Jones set the lyrics of a poem that had been written by I. G. Blanchard more than a decade earlier. The song was called the “Eight Hour Day.”
Wednesday Jul 20, 2016
July 20 Delivering Respect
Wednesday Jul 20, 2016
Wednesday Jul 20, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1971. It was an historic day for the men and women who deliver the US Mail. It was the day that the American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers signed their first ever union contract. Although there had been earlier postal unions they did not have formal bargaining rights.
Tuesday Jul 19, 2016
July 19 Don't Ask Don't Tell Announced
Tuesday Jul 19, 2016
Tuesday Jul 19, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1993. That was the day that President Bill Clinton announced his “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He had campaigned for President promising to allow all citizens to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation. Once he was elected there was a great deal of opposition to his proposal.
Monday Jul 18, 2016
July 18 Another Major Setback
Monday Jul 18, 2016
Monday Jul 18, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1919. That Friday thousands of workers in the Chicago Stockyards walked off the job. A serious union organizing drive had been underway in the yards since June. One of the organizers of the butchers was John Kikulski.
Sunday Jul 17, 2016
July 17 Growing Teamster Power
Sunday Jul 17, 2016
Sunday Jul 17, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1934. The Teamster members of Local 574, in Minneapolis were back out on strike. Their strike had begun two months prior on May 16. The striking Teamsters had effectively shut down much of the commercial transportation in the city.
Saturday Jul 16, 2016
July 16 The Birth of Voice
Saturday Jul 16, 2016
Saturday Jul 16, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1862. That was the day that black-rights activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She was the oldest of eight children. Wells went to college, and then became a teacher in Memphis, Tennessee. In Memphis, Ida B. Wells became active in speaking out against black oppression in the Jim Crow South.
Friday Jul 15, 2016
July 15 Murdered for Standing Up
Friday Jul 15, 2016
Friday Jul 15, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1931. That was the day that Ralph Gray was attacked for trying to organize black farmers. Gray was a born to a large African American family in Alabama. Living in the Jim Crow South, he became a tenant farmer. He joined the Communist Party.
Thursday Jul 14, 2016
July 14 Happy Birthday Woody
Thursday Jul 14, 2016
Thursday Jul 14, 2016
Wednesday Jul 13, 2016
July 13 The New York Draft Riot
Wednesday Jul 13, 2016
Wednesday Jul 13, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1863. That was the day that draft riots broke out in New York City. The Civil War had been raging for two years. For the first time in United States’ history, the government instituted a draft lottery. But those with enough money could buy their way out of the draft.
Tuesday Jul 12, 2016
July 12 The Birth of Oscar Neebe
Tuesday Jul 12, 2016
Tuesday Jul 12, 2016
On this day in Labor History the year was 1850. That was the birthday of Oscar Neebe. Neebe was one of eight men convicted of inciting violence at a workers rally at Haymarket Square in Chicago in 1886. He was born in New York City.