January 26

In what could be considered the first workers’ compensation agreement in America, pirate Henry Morgan pledges his underlings 600 pieces of eight or six slaves to compensate for a lost arm or leg. Also part of the pirate’s code, reports Roger Newell: shares of the booty were equal regardless of race or sex, and shipboard decisions were made collectively. - 1695   Also on this date: Samuel Gompers, first AFL president, born in London, England; Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America is chartered by the American Federation of Labor; Workers win a two-day sitdown strike at Brooklyn electric plant; A handful of American companies announce nearly 60,000 layoffs today In what could be considered the first workers’ compensation agreement in America, pirate Henry Morgan pledges his underlings 600 pieces of eight or six slaves to compensate for a lost arm or leg. Also part of the pirate’s code, reports Roger Newell: shares of the booty were equal regardless of race or sex, and shipboard decisions were made collectively. - 1695 Also on this date: Samuel Gompers, first AFL president, born in London, England. Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America is chartered by the American Federation of Labor. Workers win a two-day sitdown strike at Brooklyn electric plant. A handful of American companies announce nearly 60,000 layoffs today.More info & ammo for unionists is available
online from Union Communication Services.

http://www.unionist.com/