Today in Labor History – March 8th, 2023

 

Mass burial services for Castle Gate Mine explosion victims

15,000 women workers in the needle trades took to the streets of New York City on the 51st anniversary of the 1857 protest by women garment workers. They demanded better working conditions, suffrage, and an end to child labor. March 8 has been celebrated as International Women’s Day since 1910. – 1908

The first International Women’s Day was celebrated, in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and the U.S. – 1911

Three explosions at a Utah Fuel Co. mine in Castle Gate, Utah killed 171. Fifty of the fatalities were native-born Greeks, 25 were Italians, 32 English or Scots, 12 Welsh, four Japanese, and three Austrians (or South Slavs). The youngest victim was 15; the oldest, 73. – 1924

Members of the Fur and Leather Workers Union, mostly women, went on strike in New York. Despite beatings by police, the strikers fought on, winning a 10% raise and five-day work week. – 1926

The Norris-LaGuardia Anti-Injunction Act took effect on this day. It limits the ability of federal judges to issue injunctions against workers and unions involved in labor disputes. – 1932

César Chávez led 5,000 striking farmworkers on a march through the streets of Salinas, California. – 1979