A daily, pocket-sized history of America's working people, brought to you by The Rick Smith Show team.
Episodes
Friday Feb 06, 2015
Friday Feb 06, 2015
On this day in labor history, the year was 1919 marking the first day of the week-long general strike in Seattle, Washington. As World War I drew to a close many workers in the city were frustrated by two years without pay increases due to the war.
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
On this day in labor history, the year was 1993, Today marks an important day for all working families in the United States. In an attempt "to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families." President Bill Clinton signed the Family Medical Leave Act, or FMLA.
Wednesday Feb 04, 2015
Wednesday Feb 04, 2015
On this day in labor history, the year was 1869 and we celebrate the birthday of one of the most formidable figures in U.S. labor. “Big Bill Haywood” was one of the founders of the Industrial Workers of the World or IWW in 1905. He was also active in the Socialist Party. Haywood entered the mines at only nine years of age. He became the secretary-treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners in 1900.
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
During this past year, there have been many news stories of students walking out of public schools to protest the practices of community policing. This tactic has deep roots in the Civil Rights Movement. On this day in labor history, the year was 1964 with nearly a half a million African American and Puerto Rican students in New York City, participated in a one-day school boycott.
Monday Feb 02, 2015
Monday Feb 02, 2015
Today in labor history, February 2, 1929 3,000 timber workers in New South Wales, Australia were locked out of their jobs. Australia was in the midst of the Great Depression.
Sunday Feb 01, 2015
Sunday Feb 01, 2015
Today in labor history, February 1, 1913 was the first day of the Paterson, New Jersey silk weavers strike. During the strike than 20,000 silk weavers walked off the job. They strike started at the Doherty Silk Mill.
Saturday Jan 31, 2015
Saturday Jan 31, 2015
Today in labor history, January 31, 1940 Ida May Fuller received a check from the U.S. government for $22.54. That may seem like a small amount, but the check represented something much larger.
Friday Jan 30, 2015
Friday Jan 30, 2015
“What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be.” Those words were penned in the opening paragraph of the book Rules for Radicals, whose author, Saul Alinsky was born today in labor history January 30, 1909.
Thursday Jan 29, 2015
Thursday Jan 29, 2015
Sometimes you have to sit down in order to stand up for your rights as a worker. That is what workers in the Firestone rubber plant proved in Akron, Ohio today in labor history, January 29, 1936. Akron was the heart of the rubber industry in the United States, employing 40,000 at its peak.
Wednesday Jan 28, 2015
Wednesday Jan 28, 2015
"The only people whose names are recorded in history are those who did something. The peaceful and indifferent are forgotten; they never know the fighting joy of living." Those words were spoken in Seattle by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, today in labor history, January 28, 1917. Flynn certainly embraced the “fighting joy of living,” as a leader in the Industrial Workers of the World. She became a full time organizer for the IWW in 1907.