A daily, pocket-sized history of America's working people, brought to you by The Rick Smith Show team.
Episodes
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Monday Oct 03, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1943. That was the day the United Packinghouse Workers of America was chartered under the CIO. The new union was the result of the CIO’s Packinghouse Workers Organizing Committee. Started in 1937 the Organizing Committee was an effort to build a union that broke down barriers between races and crafts in the meatpacking industry.
Sunday Oct 02, 2022
Sunday Oct 02, 2022
Did you enjoy a cup of coffee to start your day this morning? On this day in Labor History the year was 2007. That was the day that Starbucks agreed to post information about union rights on an employee bulletin board at its store in Grand Rapids Michigan. The Industrial Workers of the World were attempting to organize the baristas at that store.
Saturday Oct 01, 2022
Saturday Oct 01, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1991. That was the day that the Pattern Makers League of North America merged with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Have you ever heard of the Pattern Makers union? The Pattern Makers can trace their history all the way back to 1887.
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1892. That was the day that 29 leaders of the Homestead Steel Strike in Pennsylvania were charged with treason against the state. If you are a regular listener to this broadcast, you have heard about this strike before.
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1931. Canadian Coal miners, their wives, and children marched through the streets of Estevan, Saskatchewan. The miners were on strike for union recognition, and better pay and working conditions. Safety was a major concern for the 600 men and boys who worked in the mines.
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1904. A woman was arrested for smoking a cigarette in a car on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Women in the United States are no longer likely to be arrested for smoking cigarettes in public. They continue to face unequal treatment in the labor force.
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1909. That was the day the International Ladies Garment Workers Union began a strike against the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Eventually, female workers struck at 339 of the 352 shirtwaist manufacturing firms in New York City. The strike was referred to as the “Uprising of the 20,000.”
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1786. Daniel Shays led a group of farmers in an armed uprising. They were angry about taxes levied by the State of Massachusetts. Shays had been a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Sunday Sep 25, 2022
Sunday Sep 25, 2022
Can a photograph bring about social reform? Lewis Hine believed it could. On this day in Labor History the year was 1874, renowned photographer, Lewis Hine, was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Hine studied sociology at the University of Chicago, Columbia Universityand New York University.
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
On this day in Labor History the year was 1789. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789. This act established the plan for U.S. Supreme Court. At first the Court was comprised of just six justices appointed by the President with Senate confirmation.