Labor History in 2:00

January 10 - The Day the Mill Collapsed

On this day in Labor history the year was 1860. It was a day of tragedy as The Pemberton Mill collapsed in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  The collapse of the five-story textile mill was one of the worst workplace disasters in U.S. history.  

January 9 - Keeping Workers Safe

Do national security concerns outweigh the right of workers to form a union?  That question was being debated.

On this day in Labor History, the year was 2003. The head of the Transportation Security Administration, James Loy, made the case that collective bargaining would be an impediment to the war on terrorism.  

January 8 - Taking Care of Our Own

On this day in Labor History the year was 1939. That was the day a new radio show began on CBS radio.  

The show featured some of the biggest names in Hollywood.  

January 7 - The Original Chrysler Bailout

On this day in Labor History the year was 1980.  That was the day the President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act.  The act allowed the federal government to guarantee up to one-and-a-half billion dollars in loans to aid the failing Chrysler corporation.  

January 6 - The Four Freedoms

On this day in Labor History the year was 1941. That was the day that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech that would become one of the defining moments of his presidency.  The world was embroiled in the Second World War.  

January 5 - Embarking on a Great Creation

On this day in Labor History the year was 1933. 

That was the day that construction on one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States—the Golden Gate Bridge, began. 

The bridge was built during the height of the Great Depression.  

January 4 - Rehabilitation, Not Humiliation

On this day in Labor History the year was 1965. That was the day that 8,000 social workers went on strike in New York City.  For twenty-eight days that bitter cold January these workers marched on the picket lines. They were members of AFSCME District Council 37 union and the Social Service Employees Union. 

January 3 - The Fight to Free Tom Mooney

On this day in Labor History the year was 1917. That was the day the trial against labor leader Tom Mooney began. 

Mooney stood accused of detonating a bomb at the "Preparedness Day," parade in San Francisco on July 22, 1916. 

January 2 - Industrial Murder at Sago Mine

On this day in Labor History the year was 2006. 

That was the day that a morning explosion at the Sago mine in West Virginia claimed the lives of twelve miners. 

The federal Mine Safety and Health administration had cited the mine more than two hundred times the year before the disaster. 

January 1 - The Liberator

On this day in Labor History the year was 1831. 

That was the day that William Lloyd Garrison published the first edition of “The Liberator.” 

The purpose of the newspaper was to push for the end of slavery in the United States.