Labor Archives

Feb. 14, 2011: Wisconsin Workers Strike

The Wisconsin Workers strike involved as many as 100,000 protesters opposing the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10.

Frannces Perkins | Zinn Education Project

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.

March 12, 1912: Bread and Roses Strike Is Successful

Most of the demands of labor unions were met in the 1912 Lawrence textile strike.

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.

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.

April 21, 1856: Workers Protest in Australia

Stonemasons and other construction workers protested for an eight-hour workday.

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.

Nov. 13, 1909: Cherry Mine Disaster

A disaster in the Cherry Mine in Cherry, Illinois, killed 259 boys and men.

May 1: International Workers Day

International Workers’ Day began as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket massacre in Chicago.

May 11, 1894: Pullman Strike

The American Railway Union led the Pullman Strike.

May 12, 1968: The Poor People’s Campaign Began

The Poor People’s Campaign was a multiracial effort to gain economic justice for poor people.

May 16, 1912: Studs Terkel Born

Studs Terkel was an author, activist, historian, and broadcaster.

May 25, 1934: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike

The Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 was settled with union recognition and reinstatement for all fired workers.

May 26, 1937: Battle of the Overpass

Union members were beaten by Ford Motor Co. reps for distributing leaflets in the Battle of the Overpass.

May 29 Disney Strike | Zinn Education Project

May 29, 1941: Disney Animators’ Strike

Disney animators went on strike and demanded unionization.

June 9, 1952: Fred Ross Pitched Political Activism to Cesar Chavez

Fred Ross knocked on the door of Cesar Chavez.

June 16, 1918: Eugene V. Debs Speech Against WWI

Eugene V. Debs made his famous anti-war speech protesting World War I, which was raging in Europe at the time.

Jan. 11, 1912: The Bread and Roses Strike Started

The Bread and Roses Strike began in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

The NYC Tompkins Square Riot (art) | Zinn Education Project

Jan. 13, 1874: The New York City Tompkins Square Riot

The New York City Tompkins Square Riot occurred during a devastating economic depression.

July1 New Orleans Street car | Zinn Education Project

July 1, 1929: Streetcar Workers Strike in New Orleans

More than 1,000 streetcar workers went on strike in New Orleans.

July 3, 1835: Paterson Silkworkers Strike

In Paterson, New Jersey, 2,000 workers went on strike from 20 textile mills.

Piedmont Leaf Protest | Zinn Education Project

July 5, 1935: National Labor Relations Act Passed

The National Labor Relations Act was signed into law.

July 7, 1903: March of the Mill Children

Mary Harris “Mother” Jones began the “March of the Mill Children.”

July 6, 1892: Homestead Strike

Spies from the Pinkerton Detective Agency and striking steelworkers engaged in a major battle as part of the Homestead Strike.

Southern Homestead Act | Zinn Education Project

June 21, 1866: Southern Homestead Act

The Southern Homestead Act of 1866 was signed, providing land to the formerly enslaved, lands which had been stolen from the Native American inhabitants.

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