February 1

Led by 23-year-old Kate Mullaney, the Collar Laundry Union forms in Troy, N.Y, raises earnings for female laundry workers from two dollars to 14 dollars a week - 1864

Bricklayers begin working eight-hour days - 1867

25,000 Paterson, NJ silk workers strike for eight-hour work day and improved working conditions. 1,800 were arrested over the course of the six-month walkout, led by the Wobblies. They returned to work on their employers’ terms - 1913

The federal minimum wage increases to $1.60 per hour - 1968

International Brotherhood of Firemen & Oilers merge with Service Employees International Union - 1995

More info & ammo for unionists is available
online from Union Communication Services.

http://www.unionist.com/