Labor History in 2:00

October 7 - Happy Birthday Joe Hill

On this day in Labor History the year was 1879. The man who came to be known as Joe Hill was born Joel Emmanuel Hagglund in Gavle, Sweden.  Hill traveled the United States organizing for the grassroots labor organization the Industrial Workers of the World. 

October 6 - Fighting for a Say in the Great White North

On this day in Labor History the year was 1996 fifteen thousand workers at the General Motors Plant in Quebec walked off the job. Members of the Canadian Auto Workers union were frustrated with their wages. They were also angry about layoffs and GM’s moves to outsource some of the auto production to non-unionized labor. 

October 5 - Solidarity

On this day in Labor History the year was 1983. That was the day that Lech Walesa was awarded the Noble Peace prize for his work founding the Solidarity union of Poland. The son of a carpenter, Walesa worked as an electrician in a shipyard.  

October 4 - Truman Takes Control of the Nation’s Oil Refineries

On this day in Labor History the year was 1945.  That was the day President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9639.  It ordered the US Navy to seize control of more than four dozen oil refineries across the country.  As World War II was drawing to a close, workers in many industries were growing increasingly restless. They had seen company owners rake in record profits, and the workers felt they had not received their fair share. 

October 3 - A Standard of Living That Is a Cut Above

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.  

October 2 - A Shot of Opportunity Please

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. 

October 1 - Molding the Future

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.  

September 30 - Workers Tried for Treason Fighting for a Better Life

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.  

September 29 - The Fight for a Better Tomorrow in the Great White North

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.

September 28 - The Journey Toward Equal Treatment

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.