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Atlanta's Washerwomen Strike
Along with the end of slavery, black laundresses went on strike for higher wages. With so many of Atlanta's wage earners being black women they were considered the backbone of their communities. They created the "Washing Society" and grew to over 3,000 strikers. -
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor. He fought for better work conditions. He developed work unions for workers. -
Homestead Strike
The Carnegie Steel Co. was an incredibly successful company that made record profits. The workers at Homestead were paid higher than any other mill in the country, which would make sense becaue of the fact that the company is making more profit than any other. Despite of making record profits, management wanted to cut costs. They ended the contract with the workers and tried to cut the wages of 325 employees. The end result favored the company with the management declining to pay fair wages. -
The Battle of Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek was a successful town due to the big gold findings. When mine workers heard about the job opportunities, they went to this town and were quickly exploited by the mine owners. The mine owners realized they had a surplus in labor and decided to offer unfair wages to the miners. Th workers went on strike and the workers that didn't offered their wages to the unions. The mine owners were furious and ended up starting a small war with gunshots and dynamite. -
McKees Rocks Strike
There was a strike at Pressed Steel Car Co. plant in McKees Rocks for the horrid conditions that the workers dealt with. It was reported that the bosses would move aside a dead body to create space for the new person. They experienced unfair wages and ultimately striked when they were fired for demanding to know their pay before they worked. 48 hours later, 5,000 workers went on strike. -
John Lewis
He was the President of the United Mine Workers of America. He heavily shaped the labor rights movement during the 1930s. He led a 5 month strike for miners for better wages. -
Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. She advocated for more rights for the working people. She helped end child labor and improved the conditions in which women worked. -
George Meany
George Meany became president of the New York City Central Labor Council and the New York State Federation of Labor in 1934. He also ran strikes for fair wages for craftsman workers. He was also a heavy advocate for the 1964 Civil Rights Act. -
Nelson Cruikshank
He was the first president of the Department of Social Security of AFL-CIO. He is well known for advocating for Social Security and health insurance for the elderly and disabled. He assisted in the creation of Medicare in 1965 as well. -
The Great Postal Strike of 1970
The postal workers had wages that were barely survivable and with many of them depending on food stamps. More than 200,000 postal workers had walked out in demand of fairer wages. President Nixon ended up giving them a 6% pay increase followed by another 8% pay increase after days of suffering without postal workers. -
He Showed Us the Way by Cesar Chavez
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Commonwealth Club Adress By Cesar Chavez
