Labor History in 2:00

March 24 - Coalition of Labor Union Women is Founded

On this day in Labor History the year was 1974. 

It was the final day of a ground-breaking gathering of more than 3,000 women union members in Chicago to found the Coalition of Labor Union Women, or CLUW.

March 23 - The Norris-LaGuardia Act

Do you know that it used to be legal for employers in their United States to make their employees sign a contract promising not join a union? 

Such agreements were often referred to as “Yellow Dog Contracts.”  

March 22 - Mark Twain Speaks to the Power of Workers

At some time during your life you’ve probably read a book or heard a story by Mark Twain. 

But did you know that this renowned American author was also a strong supporter of labor? 

In 1835 he was born Samuel Clemens in town of Hannibal, Missouri.  

March 21 - WTUL Leader Alice Henry is Born

On this day in Labor History the year was 1857.  Labor activist, Alice Henry was born in Melbourne, Australia.

Alice originally went to work as a teacher, but then found her true calling as a journalist.

She wrote in support of the day’s progressive causes, including care for dependent children, labor reform, and women’s rights.  

March 20 - Police Attack Women Sit-Downers

On this day in Labor History the year was 1937.  Three hundred police men waited outside the Bernard Schwartz Cigar Factory in Detroit, MI. 

They were there to break up the peaceful sit down strike going on inside the Cigar plant.  During the winter and spring of 1937, Detroit had seen a wave of sit down strikes.  

March 19 - FDR Creates National Defense Mediation Board

Is it unpatriotic to go on strike when the nation is at war?  What if your workplace is in an industry critical to the war effort?  On this day in Labor History the year was 1941.

The world was at embroiled in the Second World War, and increasingly it seemed as if the United States would soon join the fighting.  

March 18 - NYC Postal Workers Touch Off Historic Strike

On this day in Labor History the year was 1970.  This was the day postal workers walked off the job in New York City.  The strike caught many by surprise.

The workers had not received a raise since 1967 and were not permitted by law to engage in collective bargaining. 

March 17 - Cesar Chavez Begins Historic March

On this day in Labor History the year was 1966.  This is the day Chicano labor organizer, Cesar Chavez started a 340 mile march from Delano to Sacramento, California for the rights of farm workers. 

The action had actually started the year before, in 1965.  Filipino farm workers had gone strike against grape growers in California.

March 16 - The New York UFT is Founded

Albert Shanker was fed up.  Mr. Shanker taught math at a junior high in in Astoria, Queens.  He and his colleagues felt they were underpaid and not respected.  The assistant principal of the school even spied on their classrooms with binoculars! 

March 15 - The Painters Union is Founded

On this day in Labor History the year was 1887.  This was the day the International Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America got their start issuing their first charter. John Elliot led the founding meeting.