Today in Labor History July 26, 2023

 

Battle of the Viaduct

30 workers were killed by federal troops at the “Battle of the Viaduct“, Chicago, during the Great Upheaval (AKA Great Strike). During the battle, U.S. troops and police attacked about 5,000 workers at Halsted & 16th Street in Chicago.  A judge later found the police guilty of preventing the workers from exercising their right to freedom of speech and assembly. – 1877

President Grover Cleveland appointed a United States Strike Committee to investigate the causes of the Pullman strike and the subsequent strike by the American Railway Union. Later that year the commission issued its report, absolving the strikers and blaming Pullman and the railroads for the conflict. – 1894

In the Battle of Mucklow, a West Virginia coal strike, an estimated 100,000 shots were fired; 12 miners and four guards were killed. – 1912

President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, directing equality of opportunity in armed forces. – 1948

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) took effect. It required employers to offer reasonable accommodations to qualified disabled employees and banned discrimination against such workers. – 1992