January 27
New York City maids organize to improve working conditions - 1734
Mine explosion in Mount Pleasant, Pa., leaves more than 100 dead - 1891
First meeting of the Int’l Labor Organization (ILO) - 1920
Kansas miners strike against compulsory arbitration - 1920
A 3¢ postage stamp is issued, honoring AFL founder Samuel Gompers - 1950
(There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America is the sympathetic, thoughtful and highly readable history of the American labor movement traces unionism from the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1820s to organized labor’s decline in the 1980s and struggle for survival and growth today.)
A group of Detroit African-American auto workers known as the Eldon Avenue Axle Plant Revolutionary Union Movement leads a wildcat strike against racism and bad working conditions. They are critical of both automakers and the UAW, condemning the seniority system and grievance procedures as racist – 1969
Pete Seeger dies in New York at age 94. A musician and activist, he was a revered figure on the American left, persecuted during the McCarthy era for his support of progressive, labor and civil rights causes. A prolific songwriter, he is generally credited with popularizing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” He actively participated in demonstrations until shortly before his death – 2014
Members of the Northwestern University football team announce they are seeking union recognition. A majority signed cards, later delivered to the National Labor Relations Board office in Chicago, asking for representation by the College Athletes Players Association - 2014
More info & ammo for unionists is available
online from Union Communication Services.
The CWA AT&T Southeast Picket Line Never Sleeps
AFA-CWA Flight Attendants Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize Strike
Birds of a Feather: Audubon Joins Elon Musk in Challenging Constitutionality of Federal Worker Rights