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1909 BCE
McKees Rock Strike
Described as "The greatest labor fight in all my history in the labor movement." Immigrant workers rose up and changed the course of American unionism. Because of the language barrier they were easily divided, and thoroughly exploited. -
First Union of Working Women
The Lowell mill women organized, went on strike and mobilized in politics when women couldn't even vote—and created the first union of working women in American history. Relates to the labor movement because it shows women moving towards gaining more respect in the work place. -
Colored National Labor Union founded
Formed by African Americans to organize their labor collectively on a national level with the goal of improving the working conditions and quality of life for its members. Relates to the labor movement because it shows the movement towards desegregation in the workplace. -
Atlanta's Washerwomen Strike
Thousands of black laundresses went on strike for higher wages, respect for their work and control over how their work was organized. In the summer of 1881, the laundresses took on Atlanta’s business and political establishment and gained so much support that they threatened to call a general strike, which would have shut the city down. Relates because it showed how much power these women held in the consumer industry. -
1892 Homestead Strike
Bloody battle instigated by the steel plant's management. The skilled workers at the steel mills were members of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers who had bargained exceptionally good wages and work rules. Homestead's management, with millionaire Andrew Carnegie as owner, was determined to lower its costs of production by breaking the union. Relates because it shows how a controversial strike can turn into a violent battle between workers and employers. -
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
A fire broke out on the top floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but their ladders weren’t tall enough to reach the upper floors of the 10-story building. Trapped inside because the owners had locked the fire escape exit doors, workers jumped to their deaths. In a half an hour, the fire was over, and 146 of the 500 workers were dead. Relates because this event shows the unsafe conditions in which they worked and began a movement towards safer workplaces. -
National Labor Relations Act
Passed as part of the New Deal, this law gives workers the legal right to form unions and requires employers to bargain with the union over wages, hours, and working conditions. Relates because it is a movement towards a more fair working environment. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
This law establishes a federal minimum
wage, overtime pay requirements, and child labor standards. Relates because it is establishing laws that will make for a better workplace. Makes a more fair working environment. -
Taft-Hartley Act
Prohibited arrangements where employers agree to hire only unionized workers. The act allows for “union shops,” which are arrangements in the workplace that require employees to join a particular union within a certain time-frame after they are hired. Relates because it prohibits discrimination of workers who are not in a union. -
The Great Postal Strike of 1970
200,000 postal workers got fed up, joined together, and transformed both the Postal Service and their own lives forever. They (like all other federal employees) were denied the freedom to bargain collectively over wages. And like all federal employees, they were forbidden to even advocate for the right to strike. Relates because they held an enormous strike, even though it was prohibited. This completely shook the public.
