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Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston
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Samuel Gompers
Born on January 27, 1850, Samuel Gompers was a British-born American known as a labor union leader. Gompers had founded the American Federation of Labor and was known as the president of the organization from 1886-1894. For the Labor Rights Movement, Samuel Gompers orated and assembled strikes in hopes of changing the harsh conditions of the working men of the U.S. -
1892 Homestead Strike
The Homestead Strike/Riot in 1892 was a violent labor dispute between Carnegie Steel Company and workers that occurred in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The company had discharged workers from the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers Union because the union's three-year contract was about to end. This led to a confrontation where 12 people were killed by striking workers who attacked 300 Pinkerton detectives in disguise, so in the end, some were charged with murder and lesser crimes. -
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Known as one of the deadliest workplaces fires, The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is one where in half an hour, 146 workers out of 500 died. A fire had broken out on the top floors of the factory and the owners had locked the fire escape exit doors to prevent theft and workers taking breaks, which ultimately led to workers jumping to their deaths during the event. This story had brought attention and inspired activists to push for workers' rights, and lead to the transformation of the labor code. -
Frances Perkins
Born on April 10, 1880, Frances Perkins is known as a former U.S. Secretary of Labor. She was an American workers-rights advocate and served in her position as Secretary for 12 years which is the longest time someone has been in that position. For the Labor Rights Movement, she expanded factory investigations, reduced the workweek for women to 48 hours, and advocated for minimum wage and unemployment insurance laws. -
Fair Labor Standards Act is passed
Perhaps one of the biggest events in the Labor Rights Movement, the Fair Labor Standards Act is a law that would relate to an employee's wage, hours, overtime, and child labor. In 1938, this provided a 40 cent per hour minimum wage, a 40-hour maximum workweek, and a minimum work age of 16 with few exceptions to different areas. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the act and it became effective on October 24, 1938. -
Walter Reuther
Born on September 1, 1907, Walter Reuther is known as an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Beginning to organize a United Auto Workers, he led a sit-down strike in Detriot in 1936 which proved to be effective. Regarding the Labor Rights Movement, Reuther was president of the United Automobile Workers Union (UAW) for 24 years. Under this leadership, members of UAW who were Canadian and American would obtain a fair share of the wealth that they produced. -
Nelson Cruikshank
Born June 21, 1902, Nelson Cruikshank is known as a politician, Methodist minister, and labor union activist. Born in Bradner, Ohio, he was the son of a respected grain merchant who taught him to respect the labor that farmers and workers did in business with his family. In 1939, he directed the Migratory Farm Labor Program and set up 200 mobile camps for migratory farm workers. He became the first director of the AFL-CIO Department of Social Security founded in 1955, though retired in 1965. -
Cesar Chavez
Born on March 31, 1927, Cesar Chavez is known as the American labor leader and a civil rights activist. Born as a first-generation American, Chavez's family lost their farm during the Great Depression and became migrant farm workers. After finishing his education in 8th grade, he worked in the fields full-time to support his family. In 1952, his career in community organizing began when he was recruited by Fred Ross. -
The Great Postal Strike of 1970
A movement that lasted 8 days, was a strike made by letter carriers in New York who demanded better wages when they had noticed Congress wouldn't act until 3-4 weeks and instead gave themself a better raise. Around 200,000 people had walked off the job and this was the biggest walkout of federal employees. Within a day, an agreement was reached and workers went back to their jobs. From this strike, postal workers had an 8% raise, new rights, and could bargain for benefits and working conditions. -
He Showed Us the Way by Cesar Chavez
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Garment Workers’ Strike
On June 24, 1982, over 20,000 garment workers were in Columbus Park in New York City's Chinatown to strike against contractors who refused to renew their contracts and asked them to cut their benefits. A majority of the workers were Asian American women who had bad pay and worked in poor conditions, so their rally in the streets was to show their force and soon every contractor agreed to sign the union contract. The effect of this strike was the union working with Asian Americans workers more. -
Address to the California Commonwealth Club by Cesar Chavez
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Unions Stalled by NPR (Andrea Hsu)
