Know History... Know Labor!
On this Labor Day, as some people assault the American worker’s right to organize, protest and collectively bargain, it is appropriate to take a few minutes to remember -- and learn -- on whose shoulders we toil.
Workers fighting for their rights is as American as apple pie. Strikes, protests and walk-outs have been part of this country from its earliest beginnings.
● First recorded prosecution against strikers occurs in New York City (1677)
● Artisans and laborers in the Sons of Liberty protest against oppressive British taxes (1765)
● Philadelphia printers conduct first successful strike for increased wages (1786)
● Philadelphia carpenters strike for and win a 10-hour work day (1791)
Many lost their lives in service to their fellow workers.
● Ten Molly Maguires, Irish coal miners, were hanged in Pennsylvania (1877)
● Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York kills nearly 150 workers (1911)
● Ludlow Massacre of 13 women and children and seven men in Colorado coal miners’ strike (1914)
The strides made garnered by tradesmen and laborers have not only helped them, they have helped us all.
● Department of Labor is created (1912)
● Fair Labor Standards Act established the first minimum wage and 40-hour work week (1938)
● César Chavez formed AFL-CIO United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (1965)
● Occupational Safety and Health Act passed (1970)
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