Today in Labor History

October 01
Twenty-one die when the L.A. Times building is dynamited during a citywide fight over labor rights and organizing. A union member ultimately confessed to the bombing, which he said was supposed to have occurred early in the morning when the building would have been largely unoccupied - 1910

The George Washington Bridge officially opens, spanning the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York. Thirteen workers died during the four-year construction project for what at the time was the longest main span in the world - 1931
[Skilled Hands, Strong Spirits: A Century of Building Trades History follows the history of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO from the emergence of building trades councils in the age of the skyscraper, describing numerous Department campaigns to improve safety standards, work with contractors to promote unionized construction, and forge a sense of industrial unity among its autonomous and highly diverse affiliates. Available in the UCS bookstore now.]

Thousands of dairy farmers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Iowa strike in demand of higher prices for their milk - 1935

The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened as the first toll superhighway in the United States. It was built in most part by workers hired through the state’s Re-Employment offices - 1940

United Transport Service Employees of America merges with Brotherhood of Railway, Airline & Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express& Station Employees - 1972

Insurance Workers International Union merges with United Food & Commercial Workers International Union - 1983

Railroad Yardmasters of America merge with United Transportation Union - 1985

Pattern Makers League of North America merges with International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers - 1991

The National Hockey League team owners began a lockout of the players that lasted 103 days - 1994

Stove, Furnace & Allied Appliance Workers International Union of North America merges with International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, & Helpers - 1994

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union merges with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union - 1998

International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine& Furniture Workers merges with Communications Workers of America -2000