Labor History in 2:00

September 13 - Beating Teachers in the Streets

On this day in Labor History the year was 2013.  Riot police used tear gas and water cannons to clear out Zocalo Square in Mexico City.  The square was occupied by protesting teachers.  The teachers had been on strike for weeks.  They wanted changes made to education reforms that had been passed by the Mexican government. 

September 12 - Do Workers Gain from War?

On this day in Labor History the year was 1918.  Socialist and labor leader Eugene Debs was sentenced to ten years in prison for opposing the  United States’ involvement in World War I. The Espionage and Sedition Act had been passed a year earlier.  

September 11

Today in Labor History, we pause to remember the events that took place on the morning of September 11.  The year was 2001. 

Terrorists hijacked planes and intentionally crashed them into Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.  Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.  

September 10 - The Lattimer Massacre

On this day in Labor History the year was 1897, striking coal miners marched on a coal mine in Lattimer, Pennsylvania. Earlier that year the miners had gone out on strike. Most of the miners were German or Eastern European immigrants. 

September 9 - The Hanapepe Massacre

On this day in Labor History the year was 1924.  Sixteen striking Filipino sugar workers on the Hawaiian island of Kauaiwere killed by police.  This incident is known as the Hanapepe Massacre.  Filipinos began immigrating to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations in 1906. 

September 8 - The Fight for an Education

On this day in Labor History the year was 1901. That was the day that Francisco Ferrer opened the Escuela Moderna in Barcelona, Spain.  Ferrer was anarchist and educator.  Explaining what he hoped to accomplish with these new schools.  He said, “There must be a co-education of the different social classes as well as of the two sexes.”

September 7 - Actors Boycott the Enmys

On this day in Labor History the year was 1980. The 32^nd Annual Emmy Awards show took place despite 51 of the 52 nominated performers boycotting the event.  At issue was a strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild.  Powers Boothe was the only nominated actor to attend.  

September 6 - Packinghouse Workers Win Master Contract

On this day in Labor History the year was 1941. The Packinghouse Workers Organizing Committee, part of the CIO, and Armour & Company signed a master contract.  This was the first such contract in the meatpacking industry. Within two years, three other major meatpackers also signed agreements with the union. 

September 5 - The First Labor Day

What are your plans for Labor Day weekend?  Are you going to enjoy a barbecue with friends or family, or maybe march with your union in a parade?  Do you know the history of this holiday? On this day in Labor History the year was 1882.

September 4 - Look for the Union Label

On this day in Labor History the year was 1894. At least 10,000 tailors went on strike to protest their sweatshop working conditions. The New York Times reported “contract tailors of New York and Brooklyn celebrated Labor Day yesterday by going on strike.”  Unemployed tailors pledged not to work as scabs.