Today in Labor History Apr 1 Several great items today

[Omaha Steve]

April 1

United Mine Workers of America win 8 hour day - 1898

San Francisco laundry workers strike for wage increases and an eight-hour day - 1907

Unionized miners at West Virginia’s Coal River Colliery Co. (CRC) strike for union scale. CRC was an investment venture of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), with shares owned by BLE members - 1924 (Source: Conflict at Coal River Collieries: The UMWA Versus the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, by Thomas J. Robertson & Ronald L. Lewis)

Strike of cotton mill workers begins in Gastonia, NC. During the strike, police raided the strikers’ tent colony; the chief of police was killed. The strike leaders were framed for murder and convicted, but later freed - 1929

400,000 members of the United Mine Workers strike for higher wages and employer contributions to the union’s health and welfare fund. President Truman seizes the mines - 1946

And this:
April 1, 1946 - A strike by 400,000 mine workers began. In the months after the end of World War II, many workers went on strike to boost wages and benefits. The government responded by taking over a number of industries to stop the walkouts. U.S. troops seized railroads and coal mines in May 1946 and oil refineries later that year.

40,000 textile workers strike in cotton and rayon mills of six southern states, seeing higher pay, sickness and accident insurance, and pensions - 1951

Longest newspaper strike in U.S. history, 114 days, ends in New York City. Workers at nine newspapers were involved - 1963

And this: April 1, 1963 - One of the longest newspaper strikes in U.S. history ended. The nine major newspapers in New York City had ceased publication more than 100 days before.

Major league baseball players begin what is to become a 13-day strike, ending when owners agreed to increase pension fund payments and to add salary arbitration to the collective bargaining agreement - 1972

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters merge with Brotherhood of Railway, Airline & Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express & Station Employees - 1978

Eleven-day strike by 34,000 New York City transit workers begins, halts bus and subway service in all five boroughs before strikers return to work with a 17 percent raise over two years plus a cost-of-living adjustment - 1980

United Cement, Lime & Gypsum Workers Int’l Union merges with Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers - 1984


Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers granted a charter by the AFL-CIO - 1989

The U.S. minimum wage increases to $3.80 per hour - 1990

The United Mine Workers of America dedicates the John L. Lewis Mining and Labor Museum at Lewis’ boyhood home in Lucas, Iowa - 1990

And this: April 1, 1990 - The United Mine Workers of America dedicated the John L. Lewis Mining and Labor Museum at Lewis’ boyhood home in Lucas, Iowa. The museum commemorates both the union leader and the movement he helped to mold.

The U.S. minimum wage increases to $4.25 per hour - 1991

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_04_01_2010

[Earth Bound Misfit]

1. Kick n Rec

I remember the transit strike of 1980 quite well. I was working at Smith Barney's downtown Manhattan office, where they set up a barracks like sleeping arrangement in a large conference room, about 25-30 guys on army cots sharing ONE small shower stall. After two sleepless nights (and "dirty" days), I'd had enough and spent the rest of the strike sleeping at my girlfriend's apt in Staten Island (I was living in Brooklyn at the time), and took the ferry to Manhattan--which was pretty cool.