A daily, pocket-sized history of America's working people, brought to you by The Rick Smith Show team.
Episodes
Friday Mar 06, 2015
Friday Mar 06, 2015
On this day in Labor History the year was 2012.
A few thousand artists, activists, teachers and union members lined Broadway in New York City.
Each held a pink placard, representing a “pink slip.” As New Yorkers bustled by on their way to work, the protestors stood with their signs from 8:14 in the morning until 8:28.
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
Wednesday Mar 04, 2015
Wednesday Mar 04, 2015
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.
Tuesday Mar 03, 2015
Tuesday Mar 03, 2015
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.”
Monday Mar 02, 2015
Monday Mar 02, 2015
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.
Sunday Mar 01, 2015
Sunday Mar 01, 2015
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.
Saturday Feb 28, 2015
Saturday Feb 28, 2015
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.
Friday Feb 27, 2015
Friday Feb 27, 2015
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.
Thursday Feb 26, 2015
Thursday Feb 26, 2015
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.
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
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.