Labor & Capitalism Issues

Labor Links   @   WM Essays   @   Labor History Timeline   @   Labor News

books on American Labor Movements at Spirit of America Bookstore
Labor Film Festival at Spirit of America

"Labor is the source of all wealth."
— G.E. Nordell

"Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage has decreased 38% since 1968."
— Howard Dean, 2003

'Economics Or Else!' Pages at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore

Classwar & Economics Pages at Working Minds

Working Minds / Solutions / Activism Page

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Selected essay topics from 'WMail'
the Working Minds Philosophy Newsletter

Issue #12 [July 2001] "Independence"
Issue #14 [September 2001] "The Best Investment: Labor"
Issue #18 [December 2001] "The Stock Market Casino"
Issue #19 [January 2002] "Virtual Tea Party"
Issue #21 [March 2002] "Tax Revolt"
Issue #23 [May 2002] "The Class System of America"
Issue #25 [July 2002] "Injustice For All"
Issue #35 [September 2003] "Debt & the Working Mind"
Issue #40 [February 2004] "Paleo-Capitalism"
Issue #42 [April 2004] "The Oligarchy"
Issue #46 [September 2004] "A Living Wage"
Issue #51 [March 2005] "The Three Economies"

free monthly 'WMail' philosophy ezine
index of all WMail issues
WMail essays categorized by topic
quotations used in all WMail issues

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Labor Links

A.F.L.-C.I.O. [A.F.L. est. 1886, C.I.O. est. 1935]
AFL-CIO's American Center for International Labor Solidarity [est. 1997]
Intl. Confederation of Free Trade Unions
California Labor Federation [AFL-CIO]
American Federation of Teachers [est. 1916; AFL-CIO]
Intl. Federation of Chemical, Energy Mine, & General Workers' Unions
Communications Workers of America [est. 1947; AFL-CIO]
Intl. Assn. of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers [est. 1896]
Fight Back America: United Steelworkers Associate Member Program
National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. [est. 1987; AFL-CIO]
Laborer's International Union of North America [est. 1903; AFL-CIO]

Change To Win Coalition [est. June 2005]
Laborers' Intl. Union of North America [est. 1903,; CWC]
UNITE-HERE [merged July 2004; CWC]
United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America [est. 1881; CWC]
Service Employees Intl. Union [CWC, CLC]
Purple Ocean affiliate of S.E.I.U.
United Farm Workers of America [CWC]

United Professionals quasi-union [est. 9/2006]
National Nurses Organizing Committee
California Nurses Assn.

The National Labor Committee in Support of Human & Worker Rights
Intl. Labour Orgn. of the United Nations
The Labor Heritage Foundation [est. 1979]
Workers Independent News / Labor Radio
International Labor Communications Assn. [est. 1955]
LaborNet: global online communication for a democratic, independent labor movement
People's Weekly World newspaper [est. 1924]
American Rights At Work: advancing democracy in the American workplace [est. 2003]
American Labor Museum - Botto House in Haledon, NJ
U.S. Labor Against The War
United Students Against Sweatshops [est.1998]
help desk for trade union web-staff
Mining History Assn.
safety products at Victor House Publications
LaborNet: online communications for the democratic labor movement
American Labor Museum - Botto House in Haledon, NJ
International Justice Day on June 15th

Sen. Kennedy's Minimum Wage Proposal
The Universal Living Wage Campaign
U.S. Dept. of Labor 'History of the Minimum Wage'

I.W.W. page at Spirit of America

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American Labor History Timeline XIXth Century 1876: The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers was formed by merger of the Sons of Vulcan, the Iron & Steel Heaters Union, the Iron & Steel Roll Hands Union, and the Nailers Union. 1877 July 14: The Great Railroad Strike began in Martinsburg, WV and expanded nationally. It lasted for 45 days, until federal troops ordered by Pres. Hayes suppressed the demonstrators. 1882 September 5: The first Labor Day Parade, in New York City. 1884: Bureau of Labor established, within the Department of Interior. 1886 May 4: While Chicago, IL police watched a peaceful labor rally in Haymarket Square, someone tossed a bomb at the police line, causing a riot. The 'Haymarket Massacre' resulted in the deaths of 11 strikers and 8 policemen. A show trial – there was no evidence – convicted eight labor leaders: one was sentenced to 15 years in prison; two were sentenced to death but received commutations to life in prison; one committed suicide in prison; and four died of slow strangulation in a botched hanging. 1886 December 8: Founding of the American Federation of Labor, in Columbus, OH. 1888 June 13: Congress established the Department of Labor. 1890 January 25: Founding of the United Mine Workers of America in Columbus, OH. 1892 June-Oct: The Homestead Strike: The Carnegie Steel Mill in Homestead, PA locked out its union workers. Stirkers overpowered Pinkerton agents and forced them to surrender on July 6th, and ran them out of town. On July 12th, 4,000 state militia arrived, retook the property, and allowed strike breakers to reopen the mill. Strike leaders were charged with conspiracy, riot, murder & treason; counter charges were made against management. The strike collapsed and the militia pulled out on October 13. 1893 June 20: Founding of the American Railway Union in Chicago, IL by Eugene V. Debs [1855-1926]. 1894 May 11: The Pullman Strike began when 50,000 Pullman Palace Car Company workers went on a wildcat strike in Illinois. 1894 June 24: Congress passed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday, on the First Monday of September; signed into law by President Garfield. 1894 July 3: Federal troops were called out against the Pullman strikers. — July 7: Eugene V. Debs [1855-1926] & other union officials arrested, indicted & jailed under $10,000 bail each. — August 2: Pullman Co. reopened; strike declared over the next day. Rehired workers were forced to sign a pledge not to unionize (effectively blocking the labor movement until the Depression). 1896: Intl. Assn. of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers established. XXth Century 1903 February 14: Department of Commerce & Labor established, which included the Bureau of Labor. 1903 August: Founding of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, led by Samuel Gompers. 1905 June 27: Founding of the Industrial Workers of the World [I.W.W., aka 'wobblies'] trade union in Chicago, IL. 1911 March 25: The tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City – 146 workers died due to unsafe work conditions, including fire doors nailed shut. The event emboldened the 'muckraker' journalist movement and led to laws for safety and against child labor. 1913 March 14: Department of Labor established, signed into law by President Taft. 1914 April 20: Colorado National Guard and hired hoodlums opened fire with machine guns on a tent city of 1,200 strikers and their families outside Ludlow, CO. The 'Ludlow Massacre' resulted in the deaths of 9 strikers, 2 women & 11 children. 1915 November 19: Execution by firing squad of I.W.W. labor leader Joe Hill in Utah. 1917 March 19: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 8-hour work day for railroad workers. 1917 July 12: Two thousand copper miners in Bisbee, AZ were herded to Warren baseball field under suspicion of I.W.W. sympathies; 800 recanted and returned to their jobs, the remaining 1,200 were shipped in cattle cars {in scorching desert heat} to New Mexico. 1920 May 19: Striking miners and local police met hoodlums hired by mine owners (thru the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency) at the Matewan, WV train station. The gunfight resulted in 12 deaths, including the mayor. 1921 August 1: Union organizer Ed Chambers and Sid Hatfield (the heroic police chief of Matewan, WV) were murdered on the steps of the McDowell County [WV] Courthouse in revenge for the deaths of two Felts brothers at Matewan. The identity of the murderers was known (one was an employee of Baldwin-Felts), but no one was ever brought to trial. 1921 August 7: Activist Mary Harris 'Mother' Jones [1830-1930] rallied the striking coal miners of West Virginia to march on Logan & Mingo Counties to set up a union by force. By August 20, over 10,000 armed miners had gathered in Kanawha County and began moving toward Logan. The battle began at Blair Mountain on August 25th and lasted until September 2nd, when federal troops (sent by President Harding) arrived. The 'Battle of Blair Mountain' resulted in 30 deaths and hundreds of injured. 985 men were indicted on charges of murder, conspiracy & treason against the State of West Virginia; the leaders were acquitted for lack of evidence, but hundreds of miners were convicted and imprisoned, until paroled by the Governor in 1925. 1933 November 13: Workers at the packing plant of George A. Hormel & Co. in Austin, Minnesota held the first sit-down strike in American history. 1935 November 9: John L. Lewis [1880-1969] and others formed the Committee for Industrial Organization [C.I.O.]. 1935 August 14: The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt. 1936 May 30: Memorial Day Massacre at Republic Steel in Chicago, Illinois: ten workers shot in the back by police. 1936 June 7: Formation of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee in Pittsburgh, PA which joined with Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel & Tin Workers to organize the steel industry. 1937: United Mine Workers was expelled from the A.F.L. 1937 Feb 11: United Auto Workers won their 6-week sit-down strike when General Motors agreed to recognize the union. 1937 May 30: Republic Steel Memorial Day Massacre in Chicago. Il resulted in ten steelworkers killed, hundreds crippled. 1938: First national minimum wage established at 25 cents per hour. 1940 October 24: The 40-hour work week went into effect, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. 1942: United Mine Workers withdrew from the C.I.O. 1942 May 22: The Steel Workers Organizing Committee [est. 1935] and the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel & Tin Workers disbanded & formed the United Steel Workers. 1946 January 25: United Mine Workers rejoined the A.F.L. 1947 June 4: U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Taft-Hartley Act, revising labor law in favor of management; vetoed by President Truamn, overridden by Congress, then signed into law by Truman on June 23. 1947 Dec 12: John L. Lewis refused to agree to the Taft-Hartley Act; the United Mine Workers withdrew from the A.F.L. 1955 Dec 5: The A.F. of L. and the C.I.O. labor organizations merged under George Meany as president. 1957 Dec 6: A.F.L.-C.I.O. members voted to expel the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on charges of corruption. 1970 Dec 28: Passage of Occupational Safety & Health Act, which established O.S.H.A. as part of the U.S. Dept. of Labor effective 28 April 1971. 1987 Oct 24: The Teamsters Union was readmitted to the A.F.L.-C.I.O., 30 years after expulsion for corruption. XXIst Century 2003 Oct 11: Southern California UFCW members struck Safeway/Vons, prompting Albertson's & Kroger/Ralphs to lock union workers out 2005 June 15: Founding of the breakaway Change To Win Coalition, comprised of the Teamsters, UNITE-HERE, L.I.U., U.F.C.W.U. & S.E.I.U. unions, soon followed by the U.B.C.J.A. Carpenters & U.F.W.A.. 2007 Sept 24: 73,000 members of the U.A.W. struck General Motors across the nation, their first such strike since 1976. G.M. caved the next day.

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Labor News

Go to current Topix.com news stories on:
labor strikes or labor unions or job layoffs or economics

Los Angeles Times Thursday 11 December 2003 Business Section / California [page C-2] Workers, Labor Leaders Rally in Los Angeles for Union Rights        by Nancy Cleeland [L.A. Times Staff Writer]        Led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and a host of political, religious and community leaders, more than 1,000 workers marched to Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday for a boisterous, labor-sponsored rally — one of dozens of actions staged across the country to promote the right to organize unions.         Marchers ranged from private security guards to newspaper reporters.         "It's very difficult to overcome people's fear," said Richard Bergendahl, a security officer at a downtown high-rise who has been trying to organize his co-workers under the Service Employees International Union. "The bosses threaten to fire you, and if you're on marginal pay, you have to take that threat seriously."         Also joining in the noontime event were reporters for the Chinese Daily News in Monterey Park, who have been embroiled in a two-year battle to join the Communication Workers of America.         Union leaders, who claim federal labor laws are outdated and stacked against organized labor, hoped the events would spark a national discussion about organizing rights.         "We want to get into a real fight for the rights of American workers to freely form unions, to restore that right, which is a fundamental human right," said Stewart Acuff, organizing director for the AFL-CIO, speaking by telephone from Atlanta, where he was among 500 union members who took over the headquarters of a law firm that specializes in fighting union drives.         Acuff said about 20,000 workers are illegally fired each year for advocating unionization, and employers rarely are penalized for it. He also said the National Labor Relations Act, which governs union elections, had not been updated to reflect current employment trends, such as outsourcing and the use of temporary agencies.

Moreover.com Headlines on 'labor union strike'

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Selected Books On These Subjects
Earth's Biosphere • Class War & Economics
Energy & Global Warming • Education • International Politics
Corporations vs. America

books on U.S. Politics & Elections
at Spirit of America Bookstore

books on American Labor Movements
at Spirit of America Bookstore

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