Today in Labor History--April 16

Coxey's Army en route to D.C.

April 16, 1854—Jacob Coxey was born on this date in Masillon, Ohio. Coxey, a populist businessman, proposed ending the 1893 depression by issuing Treasury notes to pay for a work-relief program. When Congress refused to pass his bill, Coxey led an "Army of the Poor" from Ohio to Washington, DC, where Coxey and his lieutenants were arrested, while 50 of his followers were beaten or trampled.

Garment Workers Parade, May Day, 1916

April 16, 1916 - 25,000 garment workers in New York City were locked out by employers in a dispute over hiring practices. A General Strike was called by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union ending in 14 weeks, with the 60,000 striking workers winning union recognition and the contractual right to strike. (From Workday Minnesota)

Texas City Parking Lot 1/4 Mile Away From Explosion

 April 16, 1947 – 500 workers in Texas City, Texas died when a huge oil refinery and chemical plant had a series of explosions and fires. (From the Unionist)

April 16, 2000 - Thousands protested in Washington, D.C. at meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund One against policies that aid corporate profits while increasing poverty and environmental degradation. (From Workday Minnesota)

Today in Labor History--April 16

Garment Workers Parade, May Day, 1916

April 16, 1916 - 25,000 garment workers in New York City were locked out by employers in a dispute over hiring practices. A General Strike was called by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union ending in 14 weeks, with the 60,000 striking workers winning union recognition and the contractual right to strike. (From Workday Minnesota)

Texas City Parking Lot 1/4 Mile Away From Explosion

 April 16, 1947 – 500 workers in Texas City, Texas died when a huge oil refinery and chemical plant had a series of explosions and fires. (From the Unionist)

April 16, 2000 - Thousands protested in Washington, D.C. at meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund One against policies that aid corporate profits while increasing poverty and environmental degradation. (From Workday Minnesota)

Today in Labor History--April 16

Garment Workers Parade, May Day, 1916

April 16, 1916 - 25,000 garment workers in New York City were locked out by employers in a dispute over hiring practices. A General Strike was called by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union ending in 14 weeks, with the 60,000 striking workers winning union recognition and the contractual right to strike. (From Workday Minnesota)

Parking Lot 1/4 Mile Away From Explosion

April 16, 1947 – 500 workers in Texas City, Texas died when a huge oil refinery and chemical plant had a series of explosions and fires. (From the Unionist)

April 16, 2000 - Thousands protested in Washington, D.C. at meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund One against policies that aid corporate profits while increasing poverty and environmental degradation. (From Workday Minnesota)

Making School Safer by Arming Students

Modern College Student (Image by Nevada Tumbleweed)

This just in from Change,org: The Texas House has approved a new law allowing college students to carry concealed weapons on campus. While it is understandable that people are nervous in the wake of several recent shootings on college campuses, including one last year at the University of Texas, Austin, it is complete lunacy (and a statistical fallacy) to think that an increase in guns will somehow reduce gun injuries.

The plan is spearheaded by a group called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. One of its members, Scott Lewis, was quoted by Change.org: "We're basically fish in a barrel. . . This is about changing the odds."

As is often the case, people like Lewis are reacting with emotion, in this case hysterically, in response to a scary, but relatively rare occurrence. Well over 90% of the violence against students happens off campus. The vast majority of violence that does occur on campus is not the result of guns, at least not yet. Once students are allowed to carry concealed weapons, routine arguments and misunderstandings may start to escalate into shootings. There will also be an increased risk of accidents, as happened this year at a Los Angeles high school, when a students’ concealed weapon accidentally discharged.

University of Texas, Austin, grad student Aron Weinberg believes that the law will indeed increase violence and accidents and has started a petition at Change.org against the new law. The chief of campus police, Robert E. Dahlstrom, and the city police have also come out against the concealed carry law.