Because of the work of labor unions and union workers in the U.S. we have a 40-hour work-week, no child labor, and safer working conditions, among other gains for workers. The height of the labor movement in the U.S. was in the mid-1950s and has been steadily declining ever since. Many people don’t understand or know about the hard-fought work of unions and that impact on the rights of workers today.
"The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. Following the deaths of 13 workers during the Pullman Strike in June of 1894, President Grover Cleveland made reconciliation with the labor movement a top political priority, and Labor Day become a federal holiday in 1894." https://www.unionplus.org/page/labor-day-history
There was a famous strike in Minneapolis known as the “Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike” in 1934. “The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act” was a result of the 1934 strike. https://mndigital.org/projects/primary-source-sets/minneapolis-teamsters-strike-1934
Using tear gas during truckers' strike in Minneapolis from 1934. Photo from Minnesota Public Radio.
If you are curious about the Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike or learning more about the labor movement in the U.S. listen to this special at Minneapolis Public Radio, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/09/07/documentary-the-strike-is-on
I listened to this today and it’s an excellent piece of journalism. It was produced in 1984 but is a look back at the labor movement and those who fought and died for our rights as workers.
“There Is Power in a Union” Utah Phillips
Happy Labor Day!
