Today in Labor History July 2nd

Attorney General Olney obtained an injunction in federal court barring Pulman union leaders from supporting a strike and demanding the strikers cease their activities or face being fired. Eugene Debs and other leaders of the American Railway Union ignored the injunction, and federal troops were called up to enforce it. – 1894

The NYC Teachers Union resigned from the National Education Association to protest a proposed ban on Communist teachers. – 1950

Attorney General gets an injunction against Pulman strike leaders, President Johnson signs Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and unemployment reaches a 26-year high of 9.5%.CLICK TO TWEET

President Johnson signed Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964, forbidding unions and employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, gender, nationality, or religion. – 1964

The Labor Department reported that U.S. employers cut 467,000 jobs over the prior month, driving the nation’s unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5%. – 2009

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