Today in Labor History May 14, 1771: Utopian-socialist Robert Owen was born on this day in Wales. In the early 1800s, he made a fortune in textiles. However, he tried to run his mills on higher principles than greed. For example, he offered prices at his company store that were only slightly higher than their wholesale […]
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Ben Fletcher and the IWW Dockers struck in Philadelphia on May 13, 1913. 10,000 Wobblies participated. They were protesting poor wages and dangerous working conditions. By May 28, they had won a ten-hour workday and time-and-a-half pay for overtime. However, the strike also launched one of the most successful anti-racist, anti-capitalist unions in the country: IWW
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Coeur d’Alene & Cripple Creek Strikes The Western Federation of Miners formed today, May 13, 1893, in Butte, Montana. The WFM was one of the more militant unions of its era. They often fought pitched battles with cops and company thugs over wages and working conditions. Some of the founding members of the WFM had participated
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Mexican American War Today in Labor History May 13, 1846: The U.S. declared war on Mexico. Over 1,733 U.S. soldiers and more than 5,000 Mexican soldiers died in the Mexican-American War. However, the Mexican death toll was probably closer to 25,000. That’s because so many died from disease and accidents related to the war. As
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The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 began today, May 12 in Pennsylvania. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) led this strike for higher wages, shorter hours and union recognition. John Mitchell was president of the UMWA. Their main target was the Reading Railroad, (owned by J.P. Morgan), which controlled most of Pennsylvania’s hard coal
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