1840s
Today in Labor History November 28, 1843: The United Kingdom and France officially recognized the Kingdom of Hawaii as an independent nation. Consequently, Hawaiians now celebrate the date as Ka Lā Hui (Hawaiian Independence Day). In 1795, chief Kamehameha, of Hawaiʻi, conquered and unified the independent islands of Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.
The U.S. became its chief trading partner and “protector” to prevent other foreign powers from seizing control. In 1891, the Committee of Safety, led primarily by foreign nationals from the U.S., U.K. and Germany, and some dissident locals, overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani. And in 1898, the U.S. annexed Hawaiʻi, making it a territory of the U.S. In 1993 Congress passed the Apology Resolution, acknowledging that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii was by agents and citizens of the U.S. and that the Native Hawaiian people never relinquished their claims to sovereignty.
1890s
Today in Labor History November 28, 1891: The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers was founded on this date. The IBEW currently represents approximately 750,000 members in utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government.
1900s
Today in Labor History November 28, 1908: A mine explosion in Marianna, Pennsylvania, killed 154 men, leaving only one survivor.
1920s
Today in Labor History November 28, 1920: The Irish Republican Army ambushed a convoy of British Auxiliaries in Kilmichael, County Cork, killing 17, during the Irish War of Independence. The Kilmichael ambush occurred one week after Bloody Sunday and marked an escalation in the war. The fact that the IRA could wipe out an entire patrol of elite forces shocked the British. Consequently, took revenge by burning several houses, shops and barns in Kilmichael, Johnstown and Inchageela.
November 28, 1944: 400 people in Rotterdam attacked a coal warehouse during the Nazi occupation. The Nazis executed 40 Dutch men in retaliation. By 1944, over 300,000 Dutch resisters were living underground, combined with tens of thousands more who were actively resisting the occupation.
Today in Labor History November 28, 1953: A photoengravers strike shut down New York City’s newspapers for 11 days.
November 28, 1994 – In the wake of years of outsourcing and downsizing, Bell-Atlantic announced another 5,600 lay-offs. In response, 1,200 employees in Pennsylvania came to work in T-shirts that portrayed themselves as road kill on the information superhighway. Management suspended them all without pay when they refused to remove the shirts. (From the Daily Bleed)