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Knights of Labor Founded
Uriah Stephens forms the Knights of Labor in Philadelphia. Initially a secret society, the Knights are able to organize workers around the country under the radar of management. They will become an important force in the early days of labor organizing. -
Atlanta's Washerwomen Strike
Thousands of black laundresses went on strike for higher wages, respect for their work and control of how their work was organized. The laundresses had so much support that it almost turned into a general strike which would have shut down the whole town. -
1892 Homestead Strike
Workers at steel mills in Homestead were members of the Amalgamated Association of iron and steel workers who had bargained good wages and work rules. Carnegie the owner was determined to lower cost of production by breaking the union -
IWW Founded
Western miners and other activists form the Industrial Workers of the World at a convention in Chicago. The IWW, or Wobblies, is one of the most radical of all organized labor groups. Though they will achieve only limited success in moving their agenda forward, they will inspire generations of labor activists with their militant spirit. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
A fire broke out on the top floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, and workers had jumped to their deaths from 10 stories high because the owners had locked the fire escape doors. The tragedy inspired a lifetime of advocacy for workers’ rights. -
Seattle General Strike
This strike was the first one to be considered a general strike. The strike began in shipyards that had expanded rapidly with war production contracts. 35,000 workers expected a post-war pay hike to make up for two years of strict wage controls imposed by the federal government. the Seattle General Strike lasted less than a week but the memory of that event has continued to be of interest and importance for more than 80 years. -
Norris-La Guardia Act
The fundamental purpose of the Norris-LaGuardia Act was to put a stop to anti-labor injunctions. Courts routinely issued court orders, called "injunctions," forbidding workers to strike. If the workers disobeyed they were fined and jailed for contempt of court, without jury trials or other forms of traditional due process.The injunctions were usually issued on the basis of affidavits (statements under oath) provided by the employer, without even giving the workers a chance to be heard. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
This act (FLSA) established the first federal minimum wage, which was 25 cents, and it held restrictions for child labor. It also kept records of overtime pay, youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments. -
Taft-Harley Act
This was and is a United States law that restricts the activities and power of labor unions. It was also called the "slave-labor bill" by labor leaders but it was still used by president Harry Truman twelve times during his presidency. -
200,000 postal worker strike
Postal workers were part of eight separate craft unions. They thought that they were not making enough money.
