Today in Labor History

Today in labor history for the week of November 5, 2012

November 05

Eugene V. Debs - labor leader, socialist, three-time candidate for president and first president of the American Railway Union, born - 1855

Everett, Wash., massacre, at least seven Wobblies killed, 50 wounded and an indeterminate number missing - 1916

Some 12,000 television and movie writers begin what was to become a
three-month strike against producers over demands for an increase in pay for movies and television shows released on DVD and for a bigger share of the revenue from work delivered over the Internet - 2007
(Strikes, Picketing and Inside Campaigns: A Legal Guide: This book is a must-have for any union or activist considering aggressive action to combat management’s growing economic war against workers. With a deep understanding of the complex web of rules regulating forceful work-related activities, noted labor attorney and author Robert Schwartz offers examples of what unions can do, pointers on how to do it legally, picketing instructions, sample letters, and answers to scores of common questions. In the UCS Bookstore now.)

November 06

A coal mine explosion in Spangler, Pa. kills 79. The mine had been rated gaseous in 1918, but at the insistence of new operators it was rated as non-gaseous even though miners had been burned by gas on at least four occasions - 1922