Labor History in 2:00

June 3 - Founding of the ILGWU

On this day in Labor History the year was 1900. That was the day that International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union was formed in New York City by seven local unions. While men held nearly all of the leadership roles in the early days of the union, most of the workers were Jewish women.  

June 2 - Fighting to End Contract Labor

On this day in Labor History the year was 1916.  That was the day that John Greeni, an Italian immigrant miner, walked out the St. James Mine in Aurora, Minnesota.  The mine was part of the Mesabi Iron Range, the richest deposit of iron-ore in the United States. 

June 1 - Against All Odds

On this day in Labor History the year was 1981.  That was the day that the “Cannery Murders” took place in Seattle, Washington.  Two union organizers, Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes were gunned down at their labor hall.  They were working to reform the canning industry for Local 37 of the International Longshoreman’s and Warehousemen’s Union.  

May 31 - The Day Rosie the Riveter Died

On this day in Labor History the year was 1987. That was the day that Rose Will Monroe, one of the women who came to be known as Rosie the Riveter, died in Clarksville, Indiana.  She was 77 years old.  

May 30 - The Memorial Day Massacre

On this day in Labor History the year was 1937.  That was the day that came to be known as the Republic Steel Massacre or the Memorial Day Massacre, in Chicago, Illinois. Workers had gathered to rally for a union at the Republic Steel Plant.  The crowd included men, women and children and began with a festive holiday atmosphere.  

 

May 29 - Cartoonists on Strike

Today in Labor History, May 29 Today in Labor History, May 29, the year was 1941.  That was the day that the animators at Walt Disney went out on strike.  Attempts to organize a union for cartoonists had begun a decade earlier, resulting in the formation of the Screen Cartoonists Guild in 1938. 

May 28 - The Sierra Club is Founded

Today in Labor History, May 28, the year was 1882.  That was the day that John Muir, a Scottish American conservationist founded the Sierra Club in San Francisco California.  The Sierra Club’s purpose is to "explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth."  

May 27 - Centralia Burns

Can you imagine if the earth beneath your hometown caught fire and kept on burning for more than half a century?  That is what happened in Centralia, Pennsylvania. Today in Labor History, May 27, the year was 1962.  Centralia was a mining town with 2,700 residents, built above a rich vein of anthracite coal.

May 26 - The Mother of All Strikes

Today in Labor History, May 26, the year was 1824.  That day was the first time when women workers in the United States left their jobs and walked out on strike.  It happened at the Slater Mill, part of New England’s rapidly growing textile industry. 

May 25 - Hands Across America

Today in Labor History, May 25, the year was 1986.  That was the day that more than five million people participated in “Hands Across America.” The event was organized to raise money to combat the problems of homelessness and hunger in the United States.