Today in Labor History: October 08
Thirty of the city’s 185 firefighters are injured battling the Great Chicago Fire, which burned for three days – 1871
Structural Building Trades Alliance organizes in Indianapolis with goal of eliminating jurisdictional strikes that were seriously disrupting the industry and shoring up the power of international unions over local building trades councils. Conflicts between large and small unions doomed the group and it disbanded six years later – 1902
In Poland, the union Solidarity and all other labor organizations are banned by the government – 1982
Upholsterers’ International Union of North America merges with United Steelworkers of America – 1985
… click here for complete posting.
Labor Quiz: What’s a “Scab herder”?
This Week’s Quiz: A “scab herder” is: a non-union sheep-herder, someone who accompanies scabs into a struck workplace, or a disgusting personal habit? Click here and you could be next week’s winner!
Last Week’s Quiz: Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Cabinet was known as Ike’s “Nine Millionaires and a Plumber” Cabinet because it included former Plumber’s Union President Martin Patrick Durkin, who had the shortest tenure of any U.S. Labor Secretary, serving less than eight months. Durkin had also previously served as Director of Labor for the State of Illinois, where he worked closely with then-U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins. He also was a Democrat serving in a Republican administration, and pushed for revisions in the Taft-Hartley Act without success, which led to his resignation. He died two years after leaving office. (excerpted from the US Dept of Labor News Brief newsletter) Congrats to long time union lawyer Jules Bernstein from Washington, DC, this week’s quiz winner!
Labor Quote: Olympic Organizing
“A lot of athletes in our sport are severely underpaid, hold two or three jobs just to train and stay in the sport, and what pushed me over the edge to get on board and mobilize was just seeing how much money was generated from the Olympic Games.”
– Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross telling ESPN why she and other track and field athletes are forming a union. She said she’s seen what a union can do for football players, including her husband, Aaron Ross, a cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. GOT QUOTE? Click here to send us your favorite labor quote and we’ll consider it for future posts!
