Today in Labor History June 4th

 

                                                                          Jimmy Hoffa shows up for trial

Massachusetts became the first state to establish a minimum wage. – 1912

The Zoot Suit riots began on this date in Los Angeles, with white soldiers attacking blacks and Hispanics. – 1943

The House of Representatives approved the Taft-Hartley Act. The legislation allowed the President of the United States to intervene in labor disputes. President Truman vetoed the law but was overridden by Congress, – 1947

The AFL-CIO opened its new headquarters building, in view of the White House. – 1956

Jimmy Hoffa and seven other members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters were indicted on charges of fraudulently obtaining $20 million in loans from a Teamsters Union Pension Fund, – 1963

Governor Jerry Brown signed the landmark California Agricultural Relations Act, establishing collective bargaining rights for the state’s farmworkers. Agricultural workers’ collective bargaining rights were excluded from the federal National Industrial Recovery Act and the National Labor Relations Act and efforts throughout the years for inclusion had been unsuccessful. – 1975