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Timeline of organized labor history Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... The labour movement (or labor movement) is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and political governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labor relations. ... Child labor (or child labour) is the employment of children under an age determined by law or custom. ... The 8-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement (a. ... In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is a measure of the work done by human beings and is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... Labor history (or labour history) is a broad field of study concerned with the development of the labor movement and the working class. ... Labour law (American English: labor) or employment law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which addresses the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. ... Labor rights are laws created in order to always have fairness and keep peace between employees and employers. ... The proletariat (from Latin proles, offspring) is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is proletarian. ... A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... The following is a list of deliberate absence from work related to specific working conditions (strikes) or due to general unhappiness with the political order (general strikes). ... Syndicalism refers to a set of ideas, movements, and tendencies which share the avowed aim of transforming capitalist society through action by the working class on the industrial front. ... Social Movement Unionism is a trend of theory and practice in contemporary trade unionism. ... This is a list of trade unions and union federations by country. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a group of workers who act collectively to address common issues. ...

1790s

1797 (United States)

Profit sharing originated at Albert Gallatin's glass works in New Geneva, Pennsylvania.

1800s

1806 (United States)

Commonwealth vs. Pullis was the first reported case arising from a labor strike in the United States. After a three day trial, the jury found the defendants guilty of "a combination to raise their wages".

Commonwealth vs. ...

1820s

27 April 1825 (United States)

Carpenters in Boston were the first to stage a strike for the 10-hour work-day.

1830s

3 July 1835 (United States)

Children employed in the silk mills in Paterson, New Jersey go on strike for the 11 hour day, 6 days a week.

The skyline of Paterson, New Jersey, showing the canyon of the Passaic River in the foreground. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ...

1840s

March 1842 (United States)

Commonwealth v. Hunt was a landmark legal decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on the subject of labor unions. Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw ruled that unions were legal organizations and had the right to organize and strike. Before this decision, labor unions which attempted to 'close' or create an unionized workplace could be charged with conspiracy. See Commonwealth vs. Pullis

1847 (Scotland)

The Educational Institute of Scotland, the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, was founded.

Commonwealth v. ... The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts. ... Commonwealth vs. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... The Educational Institute of Scotland is the oldest teachers trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847. ...

1850s

July 1851 (United States)

Two railroad strikers are shot dead and others injured by the state militia in Portage, New York.

21 April 1856 (Australia)

Stonemasons and building workers in Melbourne achieve an Eight-hour day, the first organised workers in the world to achieve an 8 hour day, with no loss of pay.

NY redirects here. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... The 8-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement (a. ...

1860s

1860 (United States)

800 women operatives and 4,000 workmen marched during a shoemaker's strike in Lynn, Massachusetts.

1866 (United States)

National Labor Union formed - 1st national labor federation in the US.

1868 (Germany)

The General German Federation of Trade Unions (ADGB) was founded and represented 142,000 workers.^[1]

1869 (United States)

Uriah Stephans organized a new union known as the Knights of Labor.

Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Essex County Settled 1629 Incorporated 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Chip Clancy Area  - City  13. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The National Labor Union was the first national labor federation in the United States. ... Knights of Labor seal The Knights of Labor was a labor union founded as a fraternal organization in 1869, by Uriah S. Stephens. ...

1870s

13 January 1874 (United States)

The original Tompkins Square Riot. As unemployed workers demonstrated in New York City's Tompkins Square Park, a detachment of mounted police charged into the crowd, beating men, women and children indiscriminately with billy clubs and leaving hundreds of casualties in their wake.

Commented Abram Duryee, the Commissioner of Police: "It was the most glorious sight I ever saw..."

12 February 1877 (United States)

Great Railroad Strike -- U.S. railroad workers began strikes to protest wage cuts.^[1]

21 June 1877 (United States)

Ten coal-mining activists ("Molly Maguires") were hanged in Pennsylvania.

14 July 1877 (United States)

A general strike halted the movement of U.S. railroads. In the following days, strike riots spread across the United States. The next week, federal troops were called out to force an end to the nationwide strike. At the "Battle of the Viaduct" in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, between protesting members of the Chicago German Furniture Workers Union, now Local 1784 of the Carpenters Union, and federal troops (recently returned from an Indian massacre) killed 30 workers and wounded over 100.

Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... Since the building of railroads they were the advance agents of industrialism, opening a national market for the first time and themselves providing a market for iron, steel, coal, and the products of related industries. ... For the movie, see The Molly Maguires (film). ...

1880s

5 September 1882 (United States)

Thirty thousand workers marched in the first Labor Day parade in New York City.

1883 (Canada)

The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada (TLC), a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions was formed.

1884 (United States)

The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, forerunner of the American Federation of Labor, passed a resolution stating that "8 hours shall constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886."

March 1886 (United States)

The Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 was a labor union strike against the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads involving more than 200,000 workers.

1 May 1886 (United States)

Workers protested in the streets to demand the universal adoption of the eight hour day. Hundreds of thousands of American workers had joined the Knights of Labor.

1 May 1886 (United States)

Bay View Tragedy -- About 2,000 Polish workers walked off their jobs and gathered at St. Stanislaus Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, angrily denouncing the ten hour workday. The protesters marched through the city, calling on other workers to join them. All but one factory was closed down as sixteen thousand protesters gathered at Rolling Mills. Wisconsin Governor Jeremiah Rusk called the state militia. The militia camped out at the mill while workers slept in nearby fields. On the morning of May 5th, as protesters chanted for the eight hour workday, General Treaumer ordered his men to shoot into the crowd, some of whom were carrying sticks, bricks, and scythes, leaving seven dead at the scene, including a child.^[2][3]

The Milwaukee Journal reported that eight more would die within twenty-four hours, adding that Governor Rusk was to be commended for his quick action in the matter.

4 May 1886 (United States)

The Haymarket Riot, in Chicago, Illinois, is the origin of international May Day observances.

4 October 1887 (United States)

The Louisiana Militia, aided by bands of "prominent citizens," shot 35 unarmed black sugar workers striking to gain a dollar-per-day wage, and lynched two strike leaders.

June 1888 (United Kingdom)

The London matchgirls strike of 1888 was a strike of the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant and May Factory in Bow, London. The strike was prompted by the poor working conditions in the match factory, including fourteen hour work days, poor pay, excessive fines, and the severe health complications of working with yellow (or white) phosphorus, such as phossy jaw.

Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ... The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1883 to 1956. ... The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions represented a transition stage of Labor unions in the United States; it was the immediate predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. ... The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. ... The Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 was a labor union strike against the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads involving more than 200,000 workers. ... A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... Missouri Pacific (MoPac; AAR reporting mark MP) was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. ... Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 The Eight-hour day movement, also known as the Short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. ... Knights of Labor seal The Knights of Labor was a labor union founded as a fraternal organization in 1869, by Uriah S. Stephens. ... Wisconsin Historical Marker The Bay View Tragedy (often referred to locally, and by labor rights activists, as the Bay View Massacre) was the culmination of events that began on Saturday May 1, 1886 when 7,000 building-trades workers joined with 5,000 Polish laborers who had organized at St. ... Nickname: Cream City, Brew City, Mil Town, The City of Festivals Location of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Coordinates: County Milwaukee Government  - Mayor Tom Barrett Area  - City  97 sq mi (251. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 The Eight-hour day movement, also known as the Short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. ... Jeremiah McLain Rusk (June 17, 1830 - November 21, 1893) was the 15th Governor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin from 1882 to 1889. ... The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... The Haymarket Riot on May 4, 1886 in Chicago is generally considered to have been an important influence on the origin of international May Day observances for workers. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... May Day is May 1, and refers to any of several holidays celebrated on this day. ... The London matchgirls strike of 1888 was a strike of the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant and May Factory in Bow, London. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... The former match factory in Bow East London, home of the famous 1888 Match Girls strike is now a residential development known as the Bow Quarter. ... Bow is an area of east London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A burning match A match is a consumable tool for producing fire under controlled circumstances on demand. ... General Name, Symbol, Number phosphorus, P, 15 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 3, p Appearance waxy white/ red/ black/ colorless Atomic mass 30. ... Phossy-jaw is a deadly occupational hazard for those who work with white phosphorus in an environment without proper safeguards. ...

1890s

25 July 1890 (United States)

New York garment workers won the right to unionize after a seven-month strike. They secured agreements for a closed shop, and firing of all scabs.

6 July 1892 (United States)

Homestead Strike -- Pinkerton Guards, trying to pave the way for the introduction of scabs, opened fire on striking Carnegie mill steel-workers in Homestead, Pennsylvania. In the ensuing battle, three Pinkertons surrendered; then, unarmed, they were set upon and beaten by a mob of townspeople, most of them women. Seven guards and eleven strikers and spectators were shot to death.^[4]

11 July 1892 (United States)

Coeur d'Alene miners' dispute -- Striking miners in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho dynamited the Frisco Mill, leaving it in ruins.

1894 (United Kingdom)

History of Trade Unionism, the influential book by Sidney and Beatrice Webb is first published.

7 February 1894 (United States)

In Cripple Creek, Colorado, miners went on strike when mine owners announced an increase from eight to ten hours per day, with no increase in wages. This strike marked perhaps the only time in American history that a state militia was called out to protect miners from sheriff's deputies.

11 May - 10 July 1894 (United States)

Pullman Strike -- A nation-wide strike against the Pullman Company begins with a wildcat walkout on 11 May after wages are drastically reduced. On 5 July, the 1892 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago's Jackson Park was set ablaze, and seven buildings were burned to the ground. The mobs raged on, burning and looting railroad cars and fighting police in the streets, until 10 July, when 14,000 federal and state troops finally succeeded in putting down the strike, killing 34 American Railway Union members. Leaders of the strike, including Eugene Debs, were imprisoned for violating injunctions, causing disintegration of the union.^[4]

1895 (France)

The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), was formed. This French union is the oldest confederation still in existence.

21 September 1896 (United States)

The state militia was sent to Leadville, Colorado to break a miner's strike.

10 September 1897 (United States)

Lattimer Massacre -- 19 unarmed striking coal miners and mine workers were killed and 36 wounded by a posse organized by the Luzerne County sheriff for refusing to disperse near Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The strikers, most of whom were shot in the back, were originally brought in as strike-breakers, but later organized themselves.

1898 (United States)

A portion of the Erdman act, which would have made it a criminal offense for railroads to dismiss employees or discriminate against prospective employees based on their union activities, was declared invalid by the United States Supreme Court.

The Homestead Strike was a labor lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, with a battle between the strikers and private security agents erupting on July 6, 1892. ... The term Pinkerton, when used by itself, can refer to: Pinkerton National Detective Agency, a well known detective agency founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton Lieutenant Pinkerton, a US naval officer who marries the title character in the opera Madama Butterfly Pinkerton, a 1996 album by Weezer Allan Pinkerton (1819... Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the Mon valley, seven miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... On July 11, 1892 miners in Coeur dAlene, Idaho commandeered trains, fired on scabs, and threatened to blow up nonunion equipment. ... Coeur dAlene (IPA: ) is the county seat and largest city of Kootenai County, IdahoGR6. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... History of Trade Unionism is a book by Sidney and Beatrice Webb. ... A self-portrait Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield PC (13 July 1859 – 13 October 1947) was a British socialist, economist and reformer, normally referred to in the same breath as his wife, Beatrice Webb. ... Beatrice Webb Martha Beatrice Potter Webb (January 2, 1858 - April 30, 1943) (also called Beatrice Webb) was a British socialist, economist and reformer, usually referred to in the same breath as her husband, Sidney Webb. ... View of Cripple Creek, circa 1900 Cripple Creek miners strike of 1894 was a successful five-month strike by the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) in Cripple Creek, Colorado. ... Pullman Strike began on May 11, 1894. ... Osaka Garden, with MSI in background Jackson Park is a 500 acre (2 km²) park on Chicagos South Side, bordering Lake Michigan and the neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Woodlawn. ... On June 20, 1893, railway workers gathered in Chicago, Illinois, and founded the American Railway Union (ARU), the largest union of its time, and the first industrial union in the United States. ... May refer to the politcal leader Eugene_V._Debs May also be in reference to a a debutante ball, a formal party undertaken by the leaving members of second-level schools in Ireland, most often in the month of August or September. ... The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT or General Confederation of Work) is one of the five major French confederations of trade unions. ... View of Mount Massive looking west from Harrison Street in downtown Leadville Leadville is the county seat of Lake County, Colorado. ... The Lattimer massacre was an incident in which a sheriffs posse killed nineteen unarmed immigrant miners and wounded scores more. ... Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

1900s

12 October 1902 (United States)

The Anthracite Coal Strike -- Fourteen miners were killed and 22 wounded by scabherders at Pana, Illinois.^[2] The miner get to raise their wages 10% higher and 9-hour day.

23 November 1903 (United States)

Colorado Labor Wars -- Troops were dispatched to Cripple Creek, Colorado to defeat a strike by the Western Federation of Miners, with the specific purpose of driving the union out of the district. The strike had begun in the ore mills earlier in 1903, and then spread to the mines.

July 1903 (United States)

Labor organizer Mary Harris ("Mother") Jones leads child workers in demanding a 55 hour work week.

23 February 1904 (United States)

William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Chronicle began publishing articles on the menace of Japanese laborers, leading to a resolution of the California Legislature that action be taken against their immigration.

8 June 1904 (United States)

A battle between the Colorado Militia and striking miners at Dunnville ended with six union members dead and 15 taken prisoner. Seventy-nine of the strikers were deported to Kansas two days later.

17 April 1905 (United States)

The Supreme Court held that a maximum hours law for New York bakery workers was unconstitutional under the due process clause of the 14th amendment.

1908 (United States)

The Erdman Act was further weakened when Section 10 was declared unconstitutional. This section had made it illegal for railroad employers to fire employees for being involved in union activities and use "yellow dog" contracts (see 1898).

22 November 1909 (United States)

The New York shirtwaist strike of 1909 (Uprising of the 20,000). Female garment workers went on strike in New York; many were arrested. A judge told those arrested: "You are on strike against God."

Political cartoon from the Cleveland Dealer The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902, which officially began on June 2, was a strike action of anthracite coal miners in the Coal Region of northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. ... Pana is a city located in Christian County, Illinois. ... Colorados most significant battles between labor and capital occurred primarily between miners and mine operators. ... Cripple Creek, is a city in Teller County, Colorado; it is the county seat. ... Western Federation of Miners famous flyer entitled Is Colorado in America? The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mine fields of the western United States. ... This page is about the United States community organizer; there is also a magazine named after her. ... William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... Adair v. ... The New York shirtwaist strike of 1909, also known as the Uprising of the 20,000, was a labor strike primarily involving Jewish women working in New York shirtwaist factories. ...

1910s

October 1, 1910 (United States)

Los Angeles Times building bombing killed twenty people and destroyed the building. Calling it "the crime of the century," the newspaper's owner Harrison Gray Otis blamed the bombing on the unions, a charge denied by unionists.

25 December 1910 (United States)

A dynamite bomb destroyed a portion of the Llewellyn Iron works in Los Angeles, where a bitter strike was in progress. In April 1911 James McNamara and his brother John McNamara, secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers, were charged with the two crimes. James McNamara pleaded guilty to murder and John McNamara pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the dynamiting of the Llewellyn Iron Works.[3]

1911 (United States)

The Supreme Court in Gompers v. Buck's Stove and Range Co. (221 U.S. 418) affirmed a lower court order for the AFL to stop interfering with Buck's Stove and Range Company's business or boycotting its products or distributors.

On June 24, 1912 in the second contempt trial, the defendants (Samuel Gompers, John Mitchell, and Frank Morrison) were again found guilty and sentenced to prison. The Supreme Court overturned the convictions because the new proceedings had not been instituted within the three-year statute of limitations (233 U.S. 604 1914).^[5]

25 March 1911 (United States)

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire -- The Triangle Shirtwaist Company, occupying the top three floors of a ten-story building in New York City, was consumed by fire. One hundred and forty-seven people, mostly women and young girls working in sweatshop conditions, died.

January-March 1912 (United States)

Lawrence textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, often known as the "Bread and Roses" strike. Dozens of different immigrant communities united under the leadership of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in a largely successful strike led to a large extent by women. The strike is credited with inventing the moving picket line, a tactic devised to keep strikers from being arrested for loitering.

It also adopted a tactic used before in Europe, but never in the United States, of sending children to sympathizers in other cities when they could not be cared for by strike funds. On 24 February, women attempting to put their children on a train out of town were beaten by police, shocking the nation.^[4][6]

18 April 1912 (United States)

The National Guard was called out against striking West Virginia coal miners.

11 June 1913 (United States)

Police shot three maritime workers (one of whom was killed) who were striking against the United Fruit Company in New Orleans.

5 January 1914 (United States)

The Ford Motor Company raised its basic wage from $2.40 for a nine hour day to $5 for an eight hour day.

20 April 1914 (United States)

The "Ludlow Massacre." In an attempt to persuade strikers at Colorado's Ludlow Mine Field to return to work, company "guards," engaged by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and other mine operators and sworn into the State Militia just for the occasion, attacked a union tent camp with machine guns, then set it afire. Five men, two women and 12 children died as a result. ^[4][5]

13 November 1914 (United States)

A Western Federation of Miners strike is crushed by the militia in Butte, Montana.

19 January 1915 (United States)

World famous labor leader Joe Hill was arrested in Salt Lake City. He was convicted on trumped up murder charges, and was executed 21 months later despite worldwide protests and two attempts to intervene by President Woodrow Wilson. In a letter to Bill Haywood shortly before his death he penned the famous words, "Don't mourn - organize!"

On this same day, twenty rioting strikers were shot by factory guards at Roosevelt, New Jersey.

25 January 1915 (United States)

The Supreme Court upholds "yellow dog" contracts, which forbid membership in labor unions.

22 July 1916 (United States)

A bomb was set off during a "Preparedness Day" parade in San Francisco, killing 10 and injuring 40 more. Thomas J. Mooney, a labor organizer and Warren K. Billings, a shoe worker, were convicted, but were both pardoned in 1939.

19 August 1916 (United States)

Strikebreakers hired by the Everett Mills owner Neil Jamison attacked and beat picketing strikers in Everett, Washington. Local police watched and refused to intervene, claiming that the waterfront where the incident took place was Federal land and therefore outside their jurisdiction. (When the picketers retaliated against the strikebreakers that evening, the local police intervened, claiming that they had crossed the line of jurisdiction.)

Three days later, twenty-two union men attempted to speak out at a local crossroads, but each was arrested; arrests and beatings of strikebreakers became common throughout the following months, and on 30 October vigilantes forced IWW speakers to run the gauntlet, subjecting them to whipping, tripping kicking, and impalement against a spiked cattle guard at the end of the gauntlet. In response, the IWW called for a meeting on 5 November. When the union men arrived, they were fired on; seven people were killed, 50 were wounded, and an indeterminate number wound up missing.

7 September 1916 (United States)

Federal employees win the right to receive Worker's Compensation insurance.

15 March 1917 (United States)

The Supreme Court approved the Eight-Hour Act under the threat of a national railway strike.

12 July 1917 (United States)

After seizing the local Western Union telegraph office in order to cut off outside communication, several thousand armed vigilantes forced 1,185 men in Bisbee, Arizona into manure-laden boxcars and "deported" them to the New Mexico desert. The action was precipitated by a strike when workers' demands (including improvements to safety and working conditions at the local copper mines, an end to discrimination against labor organizations and unequal treatment of foreign and minority workers, and the institution of a fair wage system) went unmet. The "deportation" was organized by Sheriff Harry Wheeler. The incident was investigated months later by a Federal Mediation Commission set up by President Woodrow Wilson; the Commission found that no federal law applied, and referred the case to the State of Arizona, which failed to take any action, citing patriotism and support for the war as justification for the vigilantes' action.

1 August 1917 (United States)

IWW organizer Frank Little was lynched in Butte, Montana.

5 September 1917 (United States)

Federal agents raid the IWW headquarters in 48 cities.

3 June 1918 (United States)

A Federal child labor law, enacted two years earlier, was declared unconstitutional. A new law was enacted 24 February 1919, but this one too was declared unconstitutional (on 2 June 1924).

27 July 1918 (Canada)

United Mine Workers organizer Ginger Goodwin was shot by a hired private policeman outside Cumberland, British Columbia.

1919 (International)

The International Labour Organization (ILO), now a specialized agency of the United Nations, was formed through the negotiations of the Treaty of Versailles, and was initially an agency of the League of Nations.

26 August 1919 (United States)

United Mine Worker organizer Fannie Sellins was gunned down by company guards in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania.

19 September 1919 (United States)

Looting, rioting and sporadic violence broke out in downtown Boston and South Boston for days after 1,117 Boston policemen declared a work stoppage due to their thwarted attempts to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor. Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge put down the strike by calling out the entire state militia.

22 September 1919 - 8 January 1920 (United States)

The "Great Steel Strike" began. Ultimately, 350,000 steel workers walked off their jobs to demand union recognition. The AFL Iron and Steel Organizing Committee called off the strike on 8 January 1920, their goals unmet.^[6]

11 November 1919 (United States)

Centralia Massacre -- IWW organizer Wesley Everest was lynched after a Centralia, Washington IWW hall was attacked by Legionnaires.

22 December 1919 (United States)

Amid a strike for union recognition by 395,000 steelworkers (ultimately unsuccessful), approximately 250 "anarchists," "communists," and "labor agitators" were deported to Russia, marking the beginning of the so-called "Red Scare."

This article is about the publisher. ... Holding In part, court of appeals erred in treating contempt action as one for criminal contempt because the proceeding was in equity; case is moot, in part. ... The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was the largest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York, causing the death of 146 garment workers who either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths. ... Massachusetts militiamen with fixed bayonets surround a parade of peaceful strikers Flyer distributed in Lawrence, September 1912 The Lawrence textile strike was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 led by the Industrial Workers of the World. ...   Settled: 1655 â€“ Incorporated: 1847 Zip Code(s): 01840 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The slogan Bread and Roses originated in the strike of women textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912. ... The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union currently headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. At its peak in 1923 the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... The United Fruit Company (1899–1970) was a major American corporation that traded tropical fruit (primarily bananas and pineapples) grown in Third World plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. ... Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 The Eight-hour day movement, also known as the Short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. ... Ludlow massacre monument The Ludlow massacre was the death of about 20 people during an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families, at Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914. ... Western Federation of Miners famous flyer entitled Is Colorado in America? The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mine fields of the western United States. ... Uptown Butte 1942 view of the city Butte is a city in Silver Bow County, Montana and is the county seat. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Joe Hill Note: This page is for the radical songwriter; for the horror writer, please see Joe Hill (writer). ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 - February 3, 1924), was the 28th President of the United States. ... William Dudley Big Bill Haywood (February 4, 1869–May 18, 1928) was a prominent figure in American radical unionism as a leader in the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) and later as a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). ... Roosevelt is a borough located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... July 22nd, 1916 Preparedness Day bombing By mid-1916, after viewing the carnage in Europe, the United States saw itself poised with great reluctance on the edge of participation in World War I. Isolationism and anti-preparedness feeling remained strong in San Francisco, not only among radicals such as the... Thomas Joseph Mooney (December 8, 1882 - March 6, 1942) was a U.S. labor leader. ... The Preparedness Day bombing was a terrorist attack in San Francisco, California on July 22, 1916 when the city held a parade in honor of Preparedness Day, in anticipation of entering World War I. During the parade a suitcase bomb was detonated, killing ten and wounding forty in the worst... The IWW Label A Wobbly membership card The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, having much in common with anarcho-syndicalist unions, but also many differences. ... Workers compensation systems (colloquially known as workers comp in North American English or compo in Australian English) provides compensation for employees who are injured in the course of employment. ... Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 The Eight-hour day movement, also known as the Short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. ... Bisbee is a city located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, 82 miles (132 km) southeast of Tucson. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 - February 3, 1924), was the 28th President of the United States. ... The IWW Label A Wobbly membership card The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, having much in common with anarcho-syndicalist unions, but also many differences. ... Frank Little (1879-1917) joined the radical union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1906. ... Uptown Butte 1942 view of the city Butte is a city in Silver Bow County, Montana and is the county seat. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... The United States has adopted numerous statutes and rules regulating the employment of minors, called child labor laws. ... United Mine Workers of America seal The United Mine Workers (UMW or UMWA) is a United States labor union that represents workers in mining. ... Albert Ginger Goodwin [born Treeton, Yorkshire, England] May 10, 1887 inspired the first General Strike in Canada on August 2, 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Cumberland is a village in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 36 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total)  Ranked 5th 944,735 km² 925,186 km² 19,549 km... The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations to deal with labour issues. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The Palace of Versailles, where the treaty was signed. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. ... United Mine Workers of America seal The United Mine Workers (UMW or UMWA) is a United States labor union that represents workers in mining. ... Brackenridge is a borough located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ... William Edward Foster (February 25, 1881 - September 1, 1961), who renamed himself as William Z. Foster, was the long-time General Secretary of the Communist Party USA and trade union leader. ... The Centralia massacre, an incident of labor unrest in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, occurred on November 11, 1919 in Centralia, Washington. ... Wesley Everest (1890—November 11, 1919) was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World and a World War I veteran. ... Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. ... “Washington State” redirects here. ...

1920s

2 January 1920 (United States)

The U.S. Bureau of Investigation began carrying out the nationwide Palmer Raids.

19 May 1920 (United States)

The Battle of Matewan. Despite efforts by police chief (and former miner) Sid Hatfield and Mayor Cabel Testerman to protect miners from interference in their union drive in Matewan, West Virginia, Baldwin-Felts detectives hired by the local mining company arrived to evict miners and their families from the Stone Mountain Mine camp. A gun battle ensued, resulting in the deaths of 7 detectives, Mayor Testerman, and 2 miners. The movie Matewan is based on the event.

Baldwin-Felts detectives assassinated Sid Hatfield 15 months later, sparking off an armed rebellion of 10,000 West Virginia coal miners at "The Battle of Blair Mountain," dubbed the Redneck war and the "the largest insurrection this country has had since the Civil War." Army troops later intervened against the striking mineworkers in West Virginia.[7]

22 June 1922 (United States)

Herrin massacre -- Thirty-six people are killed, 21 of them non-union miners, during a coal-mine strike at Herrin, Illinois.

July 1922 (United States)

Great Railroad Strike of 1922

1 September 1922 (United States)

Federal judge James H. Wilkerson issues a sweeping injunction against striking, assembling, picketing, and a variety of other union activities, known as the "Daugherty Injunction."

14 June 1923 (United States)

Maritime strike. A San Pedro, California IWW hall was raided. Several children were scalded when the hall was demolished.[8][9]

2 June 1924 (United States)

Child Labor Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was proposed. Only 28 of the necessary 36 states ever ratified it.

1 May 1925 (China)

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) was officially founded. With 134 million members it is the largest trade union in the world. However many, such as the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, maintain the position that the ACFTU is not an independent trade union organisation.

25 May 1925 (United States)

Two company houses occupied by nonunion coal miners were blown up and destroyed by labor "racketeers" during a strike against the Glendale Gas and Coal Company in Wheeling, West Virginia.

1926 (United States)

Textile workers fought with police in Passaic, New Jersey. A year-long strike ensued.

21 November 1927 (United States)

Picketing coal miners marching under the banner of the Industrial Workers of the World were massacred in the Columbine mine massacre in the company town of Serene, Colorado.

1928 (United States)

The Southern textile strikes of 1929 as the prelude to the wider and more significant strike of the 1930's^[10]

1929 (Australia)

The 1929 Timber Workers strike was the first large strike after the onset of the Great Depression in Australia arising from a new timber industry award that increased the working week from 44 to 48 hours and reduced wages. A fifteen month lockout during 1929-1930 of miners on the Northern New South Wales Coalfields was particularly bitter with police shooting at miners, killing Norman Brown and seriously injurying many more at the Rothbury Riot.

The Palmer Raids were a series of controversial raids by the U.S. Justice and Immigration Departments from 1918 to 1921 on the radical left in the United States. ... The Battle of Matewan was the stand-off that resulted from the attempt of coal miners to unionize in Matewan, West Virginia on May 19, 1920. ... Matewan is a town located in Mingo County, West Virginia, USA at the confluence of the Tug Fork River and Mate Creek. ... Baldwin-Felts was a private detective agency in the United States, founded in 1900 by William Gibboney Baldwin and Thomas Lafayette Felts and based in Bluefield, West Virginia. ... Matewan is a 1987 drama by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal mine-workers strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia. ... Baldwin-Felts was a private detective agency in the United States, founded in 1900 by William Gibboney Baldwin and Thomas Lafayette Felts and based in Bluefield, West Virginia. ... The Herrin Massacre occured when a local coal mine went on strike. ... Herrin is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. ... The Great Railroad Strike of 1922, a nationwide railroad shop workers strike in the United States which began on July 1, caused a national outcry. ... The IWW Label A Wobbly membership card The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, having much in common with anarcho-syndicalist unions, but also many differences. ... The Child Labor Amendment was, and remains, a proposed—and technically still-pending—amendment to the United States Constitution offered by Republican Ohio Congressman Israel Moore Foster during the 68th Congress in the form of House Joint Resolution No. ... The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is the sole national trade union federation of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Claiming 157 million members in 225 affiliated organisations in 148 countries and territories, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) came into being on December 7, 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). ... Nickname: The Friendly City Location in Ohio County in the State of West Virginia Coordinates: Settled 1769 Established 1806 Incorporated 1836  - Mayor Nick Sparachane  - City Manager Robert Herron  - Chief of Police Kevin Gessler, Sr. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. ... The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union currently headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. At its peak in 1923 the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. ... The Columbine Mine Massacre occurred in 1927 when striking coal miners in Colorado were attacked with machine guns. ... Serene, Colorado no longer exists. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... The 1929 Timber Workers strike was a labour dispute in Australia caused by Judge Lukin of the Arbitration Court handing down an industrial award decision on December 23, 1928 to reduce the wages and increase the hours for 20,000 timber workers from a 44 hour week to 48 hour... On December 16, 1929 police drew their revolvers and shot into a crowd of locked-out miners in the New South Wales town of Rothbury in Australia, killing a 26 year old miner, Norman Brown, and injuring approximately forty five other miners. ...

1930s

3 February 1930 (United States)

"Chicagorillas" -- labor racketeers -- shot and killed contractor William Healy, with whom the Chicago Marble Setters Union had been having difficulties.

14 April 1930 (United States)

Over 100 farm workers were arrested for their unionizing activities in Imperial Valley, California. Eight were subsequently convicted of "criminal syndicalism."

4 May 1931 (United States)

Gun-toting vigilantes attack striking miners in Harlan County, Kentucky.

7 March 1932 (United States)

Police kill striking workers at Ford's Dearborn, Michigan plant.

10 October 1933 (United States)

18,000 cotton workers went on strike in Pixley, California. Four were killed before a pay-hike was finally won.

1934 (United States)

The Electric Auto-Lite Strike. In Toledo, Ohio, two strikers were killed and over two hundred wounded by National Guardsmen. Some 1300 National Guard troops, including included eight rifle companies and three machine gun companies, were called in to disperse the protestors.

May 1934 (United States)

Police stormed striking truck drivers in Minneapolis who were attempting to prevent truck movement in the market area.

1 September - 22 September 1934 (United States)

A strike in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, part of a national movement to obtain a minimum wage for textile workers, resulted in the deaths of three workers. Over 420,000 workers ultimately went on strike.

9 November 1935 (United States)

The Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) was formed to expand industrial unionism.

11 February 1937 (United States)

General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers union following a sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan, that began in December 1936.

Two months later, company guards beat up United Auto Workers leaders at the River Rouge Plant, in River Rouge, Michigan.

30 May 1937 (United States)

Police kill 10 and wounded 30 during the "Memorial Day Massacre" at the Republic Steel plant in Chicago.

25 June 1938 (United States)

The Wages and Hours (later Fair Labor Standards) Act is passed, banning child labor and setting the 40-hour work week. The Act went into effect in October 1940, and was upheld in the Supreme Court on 3 February 1941.

27 February 1939 (United States)

The Supreme Court rules that sit-down strikes are illegal.

Location in Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County  - Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Nickname: The Glass City Location in the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Lucas Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) Area    - City 217. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Providence Largest city Providence Area  Ranked 50th  - Total 1,214* sq mi (3,144* km²)  - Width 37 miles (60 km)  - Length 48 miles (77 km)  - % water 32. ... The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, was a federation of unions that organized industrial workers in the United States and Canada in the 1930s through the 1950s. ... The United Auto Workers (UAW), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, officially the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union, is one of the largest labor unions in North America, with more than 500,000 members in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico organized into approximately 950 union... Sit-down strikers at Fisher Body Plant (1937) The Flint Sit-Down Strike changed the United Automobile Workers from a collection of isolated locals on the fringes of the industry into a major union and led to the unionization of the United States automobile industry. ... Nickname: The Vehicle City, Buick City, Flint Town, Bedrock, The 810 Location of Flint within Genesee County, Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... The United Auto Workers (UAW), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, officially the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union, is one of the largest labor unions in North America, with more than 500,000 members in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico organized into approximately 950 union... Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 1942 Interior of the Rouge Tool & Die works, 1944 The River Rouge Plant (commonly known as the Rouge Complex or just The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan at the confluence of the Rouge and Detroit... Industrial area along the riverfront of River Rouge River Rouge is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... A sitdown strike is a form of civil disobedience in which an organized group of workers, usually employed at a factory or other centralized location, take possession of the workplace by sitting down at their stations, effectively preventing their employers from replacing them with scab labor or, in some cases...

1940s

20 June 1941 (United States)

Henry Ford recognizes the UAW.

15 December 1941 (United States)

The AFL pledges that there will be no strikes in defense-related industry plants for the duration of the war.

28 December 1944 (United States)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Army to seize the executive offices of Montgomery Ward and Company after the corporation failed to comply with a National War Labor Board directive regarding union shops.

1946 (United States)

Workers in packinghouses nation-wide went on strike.

1 April 1946 (United States)

A strike by 400,000 mine workers in the U.S. began. U.S. troops seized railroads and coal mines the following month.

4 October 1946 (United States)

The U.S. Navy seized oil refineries in order to break a 20-state post-war strike.

20 June 1947 (United States)

The Taft-Hartley Labor Act, curbing strikes, was vetoed by President Truman. Congress overrode the veto.

20 April 1948 (United States)

Labor leader Walter Reuther was shot and seriously wounded by would-be assassins.

Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... The United Auto Workers (UAW), officially the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union, is one of the largest labor unions in North America, with more than 700,000 members in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico organized into approximately 950 union locals. ... Montgomery Ward (later known as Wards) was an American department store chain, founded as the worlds first mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward. ... In 1918 President Woodrow Wilson established the National War Labor Board (NWLB) which was composed of representatives from business and labor. ... The Taft-Hartley Act severely restricted the activities and power of labor unions in the United States. ... Walter Philip Reuther (September 1, 1907 – May 10, 1970) was an American labor union leader, who made the United Automobile Workers a major force not only in the auto industry but also in the Democratic party]] in the mid 20th century. ...

1950s

1950 (International)

The Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948, one of the two primary labour conventions of the ILO, came into force on July 4.

27 August 1950 (United States)

President Truman ordered the U.S. Army to seize all the nation's railroads to prevent a general strike. The railroads were not returned to their owners until two years later.

1951 (International)

The Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949, one of the two primary labour conventions of the ILO, came into force on July 18.

8 April 1952 (United States)

President Truman ordered the U.S. Army to seize the nation's steel mills to avert a strike. The act was ruled to be illegal by the Supreme Court on 2 June.

April 1955 (United States)

Textile workers strike of 1955, in both New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts. Strike over a nickel raise was led and negotiated by Union President Manuel "Manny" Fernandes Jr., who resolved the strike and got the workers a nickle raise.

5 December 1955 (United States)

The two largest labor organizations in the U.S. merged to form the AFL-CIO, with a membership estimated at 15 million.

April 1956 (Canada)

The largest Canadian trade union centre, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), was formed.

5 April 1956 (United States)

Columnist Victor Riesel, a crusader against labor racketeers, was blinded in New York City when a hired assailant threw sulfuric acid in his face.

14 September 1959 (United States)

The Landrum-Griffin Act passes, restricting union activity.

7 November 1959 (United States)

The Taft-Hartley Act is invoked by the Supreme Court to break a steel strike.

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 is an International Labour Organization Convention. ... The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations to deal with labour issues. ... Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 is an International Labour Organization Convention. ... The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations to deal with labour issues. ... New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, located about 56 miles (90 kilometers) south of Boston, 31 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about 8 miles (13 kilometers) east of Fall River. ... The Fall River skyline, as seen from Somerset. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (in French le Congrès du travail du Canada or CTC) is the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. ... Victor Riesel (1917-1995) was an American newspaper journalist who specialized in news related to labor unions. ... The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act, is a United States labor law statute that regulates labor unions internal affairs and union officials relationships with employers Enacted in 1959 after revelations concerning corruption and undemocratic practices in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters... The Labor-Management Relations Act, commonly known as the Taft-Hartley Act, is a United States federal law that greatly restricts the activities and power of labor unions. ...

1960s

1 April 1963 (United States)

The longest newspaper strike in U.S. history ended. The 9 major newspapers in New York City had ceased publication over 100 days before.

10 June 1963 (United States)

Congress passes a law mandating equal pay to women.

1968 (France)

May 1968 - What began as a student protest developed into a nationwide general strike. A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with stereotypical silhouette of General de Gaulle. ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ...

1970s

5 January 1970 (United States)

Joseph A. Yablonski, unsuccessful reform candidate to unseat "Tough Tony" Boyle as President of the United Mine Workers, was murdered, along with his wife and daughter, in their Clarksville, Pennsylvania home by assassins acting on Boyle's orders. Boyle was later convicted of the killing.

West Virginia miners went on strike the following day in protest.

18 March 1970 (United States)

The first mass work stoppage in the 195-year history of the United States Post Office Department began with a walkout of letter carriers in Brooklyn and Manhattan, soon involving 210,000 of the nation's 750,000 postal employees. With mail service virtually paralyzed in New York, Detroit, and Philadelphia, President Nixon declared a state of national emergency and assigned military units to New York City post offices. The stand-off culminated two weeks later.

29 July 1970 (United States)

United Farm Workers forced California grape growers to sign an agreement after a five-year strike.

1979 (United States)

The film Norma Rae, based on a real life character trying to unionize a textile mill, is released. It wins an Academy Award for best actress.

United Mine Workers of America seal The United Mine Workers (UMW or UMWA) is a United States labor union that represents workers in mining. ... Clarksville is a borough located in Greene County, Pennsylvania. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... The United Farm Workers of America (UFW) is a labor union that evolved from unions founded in 1962 by César Chávez, Philip Vera Cruz, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong. ...

1980s

3 August 1981 (United States)

Federal air traffic controllers began a nationwide strike after their union rejected the government's final offer for a new contract. Most of the 13,000 striking controllers defied the back-to-work order, and were dismissed by President Reagan on 5 August.

October 1982 (United States)

A boycott was initiated by the Industrial Association of Machinists (IAM) against Brown & Sharpe. The National Labor Relations Board later charged Brown & Sharpe with regressive bargaining, and of entering into negotiations with the express purpose of not reaching an agreement with the union. (See IAM for more details.).

1984 (United States)

Hormel meat strike fails. The documentary American Dream chronicles the strike.

1985 (Vatican City)

The Association of Vatican Lay Workers was formed, but was not recognised by the Vatican authorities until 1993. It is the sole trade union in Vatican City and represents the majority of the 3000 employees who work in the city state.

6 October 1986 (United States)

Female flight attendants won an 18-year lawsuit against United Airlines, which had fired them for getting married. The lawsuit was resolved when a U.S. district court approved the reinstatement of 475 attendants and $37 million back-pay settlement for 1,725 flight attendants. (United Airlines, Inc. v. McDonald, 432 U.S. 385 (1977))[11] [12]

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing over 730,000 workers in more than 200 industries. ... American wire gauge (AWG) is used in the United States and other countries as a standard method of denoting wire diameter, especially for non-ferrous, electrically conducting wire. ... The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the United States Government charged with conducting elections for union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. ... The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing over 730,000 workers in more than 200 industries. ... The Association of Vatican Lay Workers (ADLV) is the sole trade union in Vatican City. ... United Airlines, Inc. ...

See also

• List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
• List of strikes
• Labor unions in the United States
• International comparisons of labor unions
• Labor and employment law

The following is a list of major incidents of civil unrest, rioting and violent labor disputes in the United States. ... The following is a list of deliberate absence from work related to specific working conditions (strikes) or due to general unhappiness with the political order (general strikes). ... Labor unions in the United States today function as legally recognized representatives of workers in numerous industries, but are strongest among public sector employees such as teachers and police. ... Labor Unions: International comparisons To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that Work permit be merged into this article or section. ...

References

1. ^ (2005) in ICTUR et al,: Trade Unions of the World, 6th, London, UK: John Harper Publishing. ISBN 0-9543811-5-7. 
2. ^ Wisconsin Labor History Society: Bay View Story
3. ^ Bay View Massacre, Milwaukee County Genealogy
4. ^ ^{a b c} Yellen, Samuel (1974 (1936)). American Labor Struggles. Anchor Foundation. ISBN 0-913460-33-8. 
5. ^ The Samuel Gompers Papers
6. ^ Watson, Bruce (2005). Bread and Roses. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-03397-9.