Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Today in Labor History

October 09

SOURCE: Union Communications Services, Inc.

United Hebrew Trades is organized in New York by shirtmaker Morris Hillquit and others. Hillquit would later would become leader of the Socialist Party - 1888

Retail stock brokerage Smith Barney reaches a tentative sexual harassment settlement with a group of female employees. The suit charged, among other things, that branch managers asked female workers to remove their tops in exchange for money and one office featured a "boom boom room" where women workers were encouraged to "entertain clients." The settlement was never finalized: a U.S. District Court Judge refused to approve the deal because it failed to adequately redress the plaintiff's grievances - 1997

[The Bully at Work: Stop Being Hurt, Reclaim Your Dignity, 2nd edition offers clearly defined, understandable tactics to deal with bullies. It is an invaluable aid to both targets of bullying and those who want to help those targets. The authors teach you personal strategies to identify allies, build your confidence, and stand up to your tormenter -- or, if you have to, decide when to walk away with your sanity and dignity intact. In the UCS bookstore now.]

3,300 sanitation workers working for private haulers in Chicago win a 9-day strike featuring a 28 percent wage increase over 5 years - 2003


October 08

Thirty of the city's 185 firefighters are injured battling the Great Chicago Fire, which burned for three days - 1871

Structural Building Trades Alliance organizes in Indianapolis with goal of eliminating jurisdictional strikes that were seriously disrupting the industry and shoring up the power of international unions over local building trades councils. Conflicts between large and small unions doomed the group and it disbanded six years later - 1902

In Poland, the union Solidarity and all other labor organizations are banned by the government - 1982

Upholsterers' International Union of North America merges with United Steelworkers of America - 1985

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