Labor History in 2:00

July 22 - The Nation’s First General Strike

On this day in Labor History the year was 1877. A group of labor leaders and members of the Workingmen’s Party met in St. Louis.  They were there because of the labor strike that had swept the nation.  The United States was in the grip of a terrible depression.  Railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia had walked off the job, after their wages were slashed.  

July 21 - The Crazy Eights

On this day in Labor History the year was 1878. That was the day that a new song was introduced to the US labor movement. Reverend Jesse H. Jones set the lyrics of a poem that had been written by I. G. Blanchard more than a decade earlier. The song was called the “Eight Hour Day.”  

July 20 - Delivering Respect

On this day in Labor History the year was 1971. It was an historic day for the men and women who deliver the US Mail. It was the day that the American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers signed their first ever union contract. Although there had been earlier postal unions they did not have formal bargaining rights.  

July 19 - Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Announced

On this day in Labor History the year was 1993. That was the day that President Bill Clinton announced his “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He had campaigned for President promising to allow all citizens to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation.  Once he was elected there was a great deal of opposition to his proposal.  

July 18 - Chicago Stockyards Workers Kick Off Historic 1919 Strike

On this day in Labor History the year was 1919. That Friday thousands of workers in the Chicago Stockyards walked off the job. A serious union organizing drive had been underway in the yards since June.  One of the organizers of the butchers was John Kikulski.  

July 17 - Growing Teamster Power

On this day in Labor History the year was 1934. The Teamster members of Local 574, in Minneapolis were back out on strike. Their strike had begun two months prior on May 16. The striking Teamsters had effectively shut down much of the commercial transportation in the city.  

July 16 - Ida B. Wells-Barnett is Born

On this day in Labor History the year was 1862. That was the day that black-rights activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She was the oldest of eight children. Wells went to college, and then became a teacher in Memphis, Tennessee.  In Memphis, Ida B. Wells became active in speaking out against black oppression in the Jim Crow South.  

July 15 - Murdered for Standing Up

On this day in Labor History the year was 1931. That was the day that Ralph Gray was attacked for trying to organize black farmers. Gray was a born to a large African American family in Alabama. Living in the Jim Crow South, he became a tenant farmer. He joined the Communist Party.  

July 14 - Happy Birthday Woody!

On this day in Labor History the year was 1912.  That was the day that Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma.  Guthrie became one of the most prolific song writers to ever sing the stories of the working class. His most well-well known song is “This Land is Your Land” an anthem whose lyrics claim America for the common man.  

July 13 - The New York City Draft Riots

On this day in Labor History the year was 1863. That was the day that draft riots broke out in New York City.  The Civil War had been raging for two years. For the first time in United States’ history, the government instituted a draft lottery. But those with enough money could buy their way out of the draft.