Friday, June 21, 2024

Today in Labor History June 21st, 2024

 


Molly Maguires


Ten miners accused of being militant “Molly Maguires” were hanged in Pennsylvania. Many historians argue that the Molly Maguires, a secret miners’ organization allegedly responsible for violence and social conflict in the coal regions, never really existed. A private corporation initiated the investigation of the ten accused miners through a private detective agency. A private police force arrested them, and private attorneys for the coal companies prosecuted them. “The state provided only the courtroom and the gallows,” a judge said many years later. – 1877
The US Supreme Court upheld the right of unions to publish statements urging members to vote for a specific congressional candidate, ruling that such advocacy is not a violation of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act. – 1948
The UAW began a strike at Illinois Caterpillar plants in Peoria, Decatur, and Pontiac. – 1994
100,000 unionists and other supporters marched in solidarity with striking Detroit News and Detroit Free Press newspaper workers. – 1997

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