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Atlanta's Washerwomen Strike
The Washerwomen Strike started small. But it grew to three thousand Black laundry workers, united in their fight for more money, more control, and more respect on the job. They soon went on strike, marking one of the first major instances of union organizing in America. And they achieved their goal, and In the end, the strike not only raised wages, it, more importantly, established laundresses, and all black women workers. -
Homestead Steel Strike
The Homestead Steel Strike of 1892, was a violent confrontation between Carnegie Steel workers and Pinkerton detectives, significantly impacted the labor rights movement by showing the harsh and brutal tactics used by corporations to break unions, getting public opinion against the use of private security forces in labor disputes, which eventually contributed to a decline in union power within the steel industry, despite initially motivated worker solidarity against corporate aggression. -
Pullman Palace Car Company Strike
The Pullman Palace Car Company Strike, was a widespread railroad strike and boycott that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States. The strike involved 250,000 railroad workers on some 20 railroads. The strike demonstrated the power of the labor movement but lessened its public support because of the violence that occured. The event also helped establish Labor Day as a national public holiday in the U.S. -
Mother Jones
Witnessing the labor uprisings of the late 1800s, Jones became active in workers' movements, eventually becoming involved in the struggle for miners' rights at the beginning of the 1900s. Jones began organizing miners for the United Mine Workers. To attract attention to the cause of abolishing child labor, in 1903, she led a children’s march of 100 children from the textile mills of Philadelphia to New York City and led the children all the way to President Theodore Roosevelt’s Long Island home. -
McKees Rocks Strike
The McKees Rocks Strike, began due to a bad payday, workers received less pay than normal and 40 riveters told the company they wouldn't work unless they were told the pay rates. When they returned to work three days later, they were fired. That was the breaking point. Within 48 hours, 5,000 workers went on strike. This demonstrated that the Slavic workers could effectively organize, but also made it clear that they could do so under very adverse conditions. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire tragically killed over 140 young women workers, it fueled the labor rights movement by exposing the horrific working conditions in sweatshops, sparking public outrage, and leading to the establishment of significant labor safety regulations in New York State, including fire safety codes. This event significantly increased support for worker unions and pushed for better workplace protections. -
Samuel Gompers
The founder of the American Federation of Labor. A national labor organization dedicated to bettering the working conditions of millions of American industrial laborers. Samuel Gompers had the most significant influence during the years of President Woodrow Wilson's administration, primarily between 1912 and 1920 when the American Federation of Labor under his leadership enjoyed a high point of political influence and enacted much of its program with strong support from the White House. -
Frances Perkins
Secretary Perkins created the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a minimum wage and prohibited child labor in many workplaces. She was most influential in with her contribution of designing the Social Security Act of 1935. Perkins created the Immigration and Naturalization Service. She sought to enforce liberal immigration policies but some of her efforts experienced pushback, especially in Congress. -
A. Philip Randolph
Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and was a pioneer in advancing racial equality within the labor movement. He was at the forefront of campaigns to improve wages and working conditions for black and white alike. He was a principal organizer for the 1963 March on Washington and was among the leaders that met with President John F. Kennedy after the march. -
Cesar Chavez
His union's efforts brought about the passage of the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act to protect farm workers. Today, it's only law in the nation that protects the farm workers' right to unionize. On April 10, 1966, a crowd of 10,000 farm workers and supporters gathered at the California state capitol to celebrate victory in one of the most significant strikes in American history, one that made Cesar Chavez famous as leader of the National Farm Workers Association. -
I’ve Been to the Mountaintop - Martin Luther King
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Puerto Rican Obituary - Pedro Pietri
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He Showed Us the Way - Cesar Chavez
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Address to the Commonwealth Club of California - Cesar Chavez
