Today in Labor History

April 12

A group of "puddlers" -- craftsmen who manipulated pig iron to create steel -- met in a Pitsburgh bar and formed The Iron City Forge of the Sons of Vulcan. It was the strongest union in the U.S. in the 1870s, later merging with two other unions to form what was to be the forerunner of the United Steel Workers - 1858

Birth of Florence Reece, active in Harlan County, Ky. coal strikes and author of famed labor song “Which Side Are You On?” - 1900

The Union Label and Service Trades Department is founded by the American Federation of Labor. Its mission: promote the products and services of union members - 1909

SOURCE: Union Communications Services, Inc.