Women in Labor History
Profile. Zinn Education Project.
Brief bios of two dozen women of note in the labor movement.
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Theme: Labor
Labor
The Right to Stay Home: How U.S. Policy Drives Mexican Migration
Book — Non-fiction. By David Bacon. 2013. 328 pages.
The story of the growing resistance of Mexican communities to the poverty that forces people to migrate to the United States.
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The story of the growing resistance of Mexican communities to the poverty that forces people to migrate to the United States.
Fred Lucas: Lincoln Brigadista and 1931 Hunger Marcher
On March 6, 2014, Kianga Lucas commented on the Zinn Education Project's Facebook post about the Lincoln Brigades:
"Wonderful! My grandfather also fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. These men and women were incredibly brave and sacrificed a lot."
We asked Ms. Lucas for more information about her grandfather and here is the people's history that she shared.
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Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers
Book — Non-fiction. By Frank Bardacke. 2012. 848 pages.
A reappraisal of the political trajectory of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers.
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A reappraisal of the political trajectory of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers.
Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal
Book — Fiction. By Margarita Engle. 2016. 272 pages.
Historical fiction in free verse about the building of the Panama Canal.
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Historical fiction in free verse about the building of the Panama Canal.
Civil Rights Unionism: Tobacco Workers and the Struggle for Democracy in the Mid-Twentieth-Century South
Book — Non-fiction. By Robert Rodgers Korstad. 2003. 576 pages.
Chronicles the rise and fall of the union that represented thousands of African American tobacco factory workers in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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Chronicles the rise and fall of the union that represented thousands of African American tobacco factory workers in Winston-Salem, N.C.
May 4, 1886: Haymarket Tragedy
A peaceful demonstration in Chicago for the eight-hour day ended in tragedy when the police barged in and a bomb exploded.
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The Devil Is Here in These Hills
Book — Non-fiction. By James Green. 2015. 448 pages.
History of one of the most protracted and deadly labor struggles in U.S. history that was waged in West Virginia.
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History of one of the most protracted and deadly labor struggles in U.S. history that was waged in West Virginia.
Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Profile.
Overview of the farm labor organization, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, with artwork by Erin Currier.
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Fannie Never Flinched: One Woman’s Courage in the Struggle for American Labor Union Rights
Book — Non-fiction. By Mary Cronk Farrell. 2016. 56 pages.
Biography of labor union activist Fannie Sellins.
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Biography of labor union activist Fannie Sellins.
Dec. 24, 1913: Calumet Italian Hall Disaster
The Italian Hall disaster killed 73 people, 59 of them children, from families of striking copper miners.
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Sept. 4, 1921: Battle of Blair Mountain Ends
The end of fighting at the Battle of Blair Mountain, which was the largest example of class war in U.S. history.
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Aug. 14, 1935: The Social Security Act Passed
Due to the results of the strength of organized labor and other mass movements of the 1930s, the Social Security Act was passed.
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Aug. 1, 1917: Labor Organizer Frank Little Lynched
IWW labor organizer Frank Little was lynched from a railroad trestle.
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May 30, 1937: Memorial Day Massacre
The Chicago Police Department shot and killed ten unarmed demonstrators in Chicago on Memorial Day.
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Jan. 29, 1834: Federal Troops Suppress Labor Protest
President Andrew Jackson used federal troops to suppress worker organizing.
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Feb. 11, 1916: Emma Goldman Arrested
Russian Jewish anarchist Emma Goldman was arrested for distributing materials about birth control in violation of the Comstock Act.
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Feb. 12, 1968: Sanitation Workers Strike in Memphis
Over 1,100 sanitation workers strike and march for better wages, conditions, and safety with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee.
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July 11, 1892: Coeur d’Alene Idaho Miners Strike
Miners in Coeur d’Alene held a strike and took on the Pinkertons.
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March 4, 1933: Frances Perkins First Woman to Serve in U.S. Cabinet
Frances Perkins became Secretary of Labor, and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet.
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March 12, 1912: Bread and Roses Strike Is Successful
Most of the demands of labor unions were met in the 1912 Lawrence textile strike.
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March 18, 1970: Postal Workers Strike
The first mass work stoppage in the 195-year history of the Postal Service began with a walkout of letter carriers in Brooklyn and Manhattan who were demanding better wages.
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March 22, 1968: March for Justice and Jobs
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Community on the Move for Equality called for a march in Memphis, Tennessee in solidarity with sanitation workers.
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April 21, 1856: Workers Protest in Australia
Stonemasons and other construction workers protested for an eight-hour workday.
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Harriet Hanson Robinson: “Characteristics of the Early Factory Girls.”
Film clip. Voices of a People's History.
Harriet Hanson Robinson's "Characteristics of the Early Factory Girls" (1898) read by Lili Taylor.
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Harriet Hanson Robinson's "Characteristics of the Early Factory Girls" (1898) read by Lili Taylor.