Labor History in 2:00

March 4 - Francis Perkins Named Secretary of Labor

This was the day President Franklin Roosevelt named Frances Perkins Secretary of Labor.  Secretary Perkins was the first woman to hold a cabinet position in the US Government.  Perkins brought to her position years of experience advocating for working people.  

Born in Boston, Perkins attended Mount Holyoke College.  She moved to Illinois to become a teacher.  

March 3 - Congress Passes the Davis-Bacon Act

Are you a trade union worker?  Have you ever worked at a “prevailing wage” job site? Then today in Labor History, is an important day for you.  The year was 1931. 

Congress passed the Davis-Bacon Act.  This act requires that any new construction or repair of a public building or public works project of more than $2,000 that includes federal funding must pay a “prevailing wage.” 

March 2 - Steelworkers Sign Historic Agreement

On this day in Labor History the year was 1937. 

The Steel Workers Organizing Committee, and US Steel signed their first, historic labor agreement. 

Previous efforts to organize steel workers had failed due to the union-busting tactics of the steel mill owners. 

March 1 - One Million British Miners Strike

On this day in Labor History the year was 1912.

Nearly one million coal miners went on strike in Great Britain.

A period of great labor unrest marked the year leading up to the massive walkout from the mines.  

February 28 - Global Solidarity with 3M Workers

Union solidarity does not know national borders. 

This was abundantly clear today in labor history, the year was 1986.

450 workers in South Africa walked off the job to support laid off workers in New Jersey. 

February 27 - Criminalization of the Sit-Down

On this day in labor history the year was 1939 and the US Supreme Court ruled that sit-down strikes were illegal. 

If you are a regular listener of Labor History in 2:00, last month you might have heard how sit-down strikes had become an important tactic for workers during the 1930s.  

February 26 - The Flood at Buffalo Creek

On this day in labor history the year was 1972, marking the day of the Buffalo Creek Flood in West Virginia. 

The Pittson Coal Company’s coal waste impoundment dam failed during heavy rain causing more than 130 million gallons of water and coal waste to flood the valley below.

February 25 - Remembering E.D. Nixon

On this day in labor history the year was 1987, marks the death of Edgar Daniel Nixon.

Nixon’s leadership in the struggle for black labor and civil rights spanned decades. 

February 24 - The Child Labor Tax Law Passes

On this day in labor history the year was 1919, the U.S. Congress passed the Child Labor Tax Law. 

At the turn of the twentieth century child labor had increasingly become an issue of concern in the United States. 

February 23 - This Land is Your Land

On this day in labor history the year was 1940, in a hotel in New York City, Woody Guthrie penned the original lyrics of his song “This Land is Your Land.”