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A group of workers in Chicago held a big meeting to ask for shorter workdays, but things turned dangerous when someone threw a bomb. This led to a fight between the police and the crowd, and some people were hurt or killed. Because of this event, workers around the world started celebrating International Workers’ Day on May 1st every year. It became an important day to remember the fight for fair working hours. -
The Pullman Strike was a big railroad strike that started in Chicago at the Pullman Company. Workers went on strike because their wages were cut, but the cost of living in company-owned housing was still very high. Things got worse when the government sent in troops to stop the strike, and there were violent clashes between the workers and soldiers. This event showed how much power big companies had over workers and became an important moment in the fight for workers' rights. -
Eugene V. Debs was a leader who fought for workers' rights and believed in socialism. He started the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and ran for president five times as a candidate for the Socialist Party. Debs helped organize workers in big companies, like during the Pullman Strike, and fought for workers to have the right to join unions and work together to improve their jobs. His ideas about improving working conditions and his strong support for socialism made him important. -
Mary Harris “Mother” Jones was a strong leader who fought for workers' rights, especially in coal mines. She helped organize strikes, worked for laws to protect children from labor, and spoke out for workers all over the country. Mother Jones became one of the most important voices in the early 1900s for labor rights and was known for being a brave and loud activist. -
Upton Sinclair was a writer who wanted to improve working conditions. His book The Jungle showed how unsafe and dirty the meatpacking industry was. Even though he wasn’t a labor leader, his book helped bring changes to workplace safety, labor laws, and food rules. His work also made people pay more attention to how hard life was for workers in the early 1900s. -
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City was a tragedy where 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women, died in a fire. The factory's locked doors and lack of safety made it harder for people to escape. This awful event helped people realize how dangerous workplaces could be, and it led to new laws and rules to make work environments safer. -
The Radium Girls were a group of women who worked in factories painting watch dials with radium paint. Over time, the radium made them very sick, causing problems like bone pain, anemia, and even cancer. The women took their employers to court, and their case became an important moment in the history of workers' rights, especially when it comes to handling dangerous substances at work. -
Dolores Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with César Chávez. She played a big role in organizing workers and helping them get better working conditions. Huerta came up with the phrase "Sí, se puede" ("Yes, we can"), which became an important slogan for workers' and civil rights. She has spent her life fighting for workers' rights, women's rights, and helping Latino communities. -
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was an important law that set rules for things like minimum wage, how many hours people could work, and child labor. This law helped protect workers and made sure many people got fair pay, especially during the Great Depression. It was a big win for workers and helped create rules to protect workers in the future. -
César Chávez was an important leader in the fight for workers' rights, especially for farm workers. He started the United Farm Workers (UFW) and led strikes to help migrant workers get better pay and working conditions. Chávez believed in peaceful protests and worked hard for fairness and social justice, making a big impact on labor movements across the United States. -
The Delano Grape Strike started in 1965 when Filipino farm workers, led by Larry Itliong, went on strike to ask for better pay and working conditions in the grape fields of Delano, California. César Chávez and the United Farm Workers soon joined the strike and organized a boycott of grapes. This brought national attention to the struggles of farm workers. The strike helped improve pay, benefits, and working conditions for farm workers, and it became an important moment in the labor movement. -
In 1968, more than 1,300 Black sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike to demand better pay and safer working conditions. Martin Luther King Jr. joined their cause, linking it to his Poor People’s Campaign. On April 3, 1968, he gave his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, encouraging peaceful protest and unity. The next day, King was tragically assassinated, but his leadership helped the workers get what they wanted just two weeks later. -
Puerto Rican Obituary by Pedro Pietri is a strong poem about the struggles of Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States. It talks about how hard they work but are often overlooked and not celebrated. The poem uses vivid descriptions to show the challenges these immigrants face. It explores themes like identity, loss, and the dream of a better life in America. -
Fast-food workers in New York City began a movement to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. They wanted to be paid more for their hard work and to improve their living conditions. This movement spread to other places and helped raise wages in many states. It also influenced national labor policies to support fairer pay for workers. -
In 2022, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island made history by voting to create the first Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in the U.S. The union, led by Chris Smalls, asked for higher wages, job security, and better working conditions. Even though the workers won the vote, Amazon has refused to negotiate and is using legal delays to slow down talks. This shows how difficult it can be for modern unions to get the changes they want.