Thursday, March 08, 2018

Today in Labor History

Labor History March 8
Mass burial services for Castle Gate Mine explosion victims
15,000 women workers in the needle trades took to the streets of New York City on the 51st anniversary of the 1857 protest by women garment workers. They demanded better working conditions, suffrage, and an end to child labor. March 8 has been celebrated as International Women’s Day since 1910. – 1908
The first International Women’s Day was celebrated, in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and the U.S. – 1911
Three explosions at a Utah Fuel Co. mine in Castle Gate, Utah killed 171. Fifty of the fatalities were native-born Greeks, 25 were Italians, 32 English or Scots, 12 Welsh, four Japanese, and three Austrians (or South Slavs). The youngest victim was 15; the oldest, 73. – 1924
Members of the Fur and Leather Workers Union, mostly women, went on strike in New York. Despite beatings by police, the strikers fought on, winning a 10% raise and five-day work week. – 1926
The Norris-LaGuardia Anti-Injunction Act took effect on this day. It limits the ability of federal judges to issue injunctions against workers and unions involved in labor disputes. – 1932
César Chávez led 5,000 striking farmworkers on a march through the streets of Salinas, California. – 1979

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