Labor History in 2:00

April 16 - Another Day in the Class War

On this day in Labor History the year was 2000. That was the beginning of a two-day rally in Washington D.C to protest the gathering of world leaders for the World Bank and The International Monetary Fund or what is known as the A-16 summit. The event was a continuation of the massive protest that disrupted the World Trade Organization’s meeting the year before in Seattle, Washington.  

April 15 - The American Federation of Teachers is Founded

On this day in Labor History the year was 1916. That was day that the American Federation of Teachers was founded at a meeting at the City Club in downtown Chicago. Three Chicago teachers groups helped to organize the meeting. They were convinced that in order to improve working conditions for teachers they would need to formally join the labor movement.  

April 14 - Agricultural Workers Risk Everything to Organize

On this day in Labor History the year was 1930. That was the day that 114 agricultural laborers in California’s Imperial Valley paid a harsh price for joining together to try to improve their working conditions. The Great Depression was worsening the already difficult conditions faced by California farm laborers. 

April 13 - The Laborers Union is Founded

On this day in Labor History the year was 1903. That was the year the day that twenty-five delegates from seventeen cities gathered in Washington, D.C. to discuss forming a union for laborers. General laborers, who often performed some of the most back-breaking work on projects like digging canals or surfacing streets, were often blocked from joining craft unions as full members. 

April 12 - The Historic Walkout at Toledo Auto-Lite

On this day in Labor History the year was 1934.  That was the day that workers at the Toledo Auto-Lite factory decided to go out on strike.  The company made electric starters for the auto giants in nearby Detroit.  The punishing effects of the Great Depression had hit the auto industry hard.  

April 11 - Terrorists Try to Silence Workers

On this day in Labor History the year was 1934.  That was the day that labor organizer Frank Norman disappeared from the Lakeland, Florida area and was never heard from again.  It is believed he was kidnapped and murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Norman was organizing citrus workers in the northern part of the state.  

April 10 - In the Streets Against Cruelty

On this day in Labor History the year was 2006. That was the day of massive protests for immigrants’ rights in cities throughout the United States. Starting in March of 2006, there was a series of coordinated protests in response to a bill passed by the US House of Representatives. The bill would classify undocumented workers as felons, and proposed a wall along one-third of the US-Mexico border.  

April 9 - Minneapolis Teachers Brave the Cold for a Better Tomorrow

On this day in Labor History the year was 1970. That was the day that Minneapolis Teachers Union, Local 59, went out on strike. They took the vote to strike, despite the fact state law prohibited teachers from striking.  But after months of negotiations that went nowhere, the teachers decided it was time to act. The main issue for the strike was wages

April 8 - Truman Takes Over Steel

On this day in Labor History the year was 1952. That was the day that President Truman issued Executive Order 10340, nationalizing the US Steel Industry. He hoped to stop a looming steel strike, while the country was embroiled in the Korean War. 

April 7 - The Day the Line Went Dead

On this day in Labor History the year was 1947. If you tried to make a telephone call that day, you might have been out luck. During that time, telephone calls were connected by operators. Ninety-five percent of the operators were women.