Today is American Labo[u]r Day a long weekend celebrating the achievements of the work force and the unions without whom . . . . . . . . etc etc

Today in labor history, January 17, 1915: organized and led by radical labor organiser, Lucy Parsons, more than 1,500 people march in Chicago, demanding relief from hunger and high levels of unemployment in the city. Parsons was described by the Chicago Police Department as “more dangerous than a thousand rioters.”

The first Labor Day parade occurred Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. The workers’ unions chose the first Monday in September because it was halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Most historians credit Peter McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, with the original idea of a day for workers to show their solidarity. Membership in labor unions in the United States reached an all-time high in the 1950s when about 40 percent of the work force belonged to unions. Today, union membership is about 14 percent of the working population.

sometimes there was even fun and dancing on the picket line

SOME LABOUR HISTORY NEWS

From American Labo(u)r Day resources

are you paying attention MacDonald's?

From labour history, June 7, 1968: Women sewing machinists at Ford’s Dagenham factory in London go out on strike over pay discrimination. Three weeks later, they agreed to return to work after being offered 92% of the men’s wages. Two years later, the Equal Pay Act of 1970 was enacted, which, for the first time, prohibited less favorable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. My maternal Grandfather, Harold Latham worked at Dagenham for a while and I grew up listening to my Mum talking about work conditions and the area where they lived but eventually they moved back up North.

From labor history, February 27, 1937: Just days after the autoworkers’ victory at GM, more than 100 women workers at one of 40 Woolworth stores in Detroit, MI, begin a sit-down strike over wages, hours, working conditions, and union recognition. Solidarity action in support of the workers was incredible, the strike spread, and on March 5 the workers won their demands, including the union shop. The union won a uniform contract for all 40 stores in Detroit, which covered 2,500 workers.

Today in labor history, December 21, 1916: Labor organizer, community activist, and civil rights advocate Emma Tenayuca is born in San Antonio. Her advocacy for the working poor – especially Mexican American women – led her to become known as “La Pasionaria” and was an inspiration to future generations of labor and civil rights activists. “I never thought in terms of fear. I thought in terms of justice.”