January 29, 1834
– Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers rioted on this date, prompting
President Jackson to send in troops, the first time American troops were
used to suppress a domestic labor dispute. Workers
were rebelling because of terrible working conditions and low pay. The
canal project had been designed by George Washington and was intended to
facilitate transportation of goods from the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio
River Valley. Construction teams were made up mostly of Irish, German,
Dutch and black workers who toiled long hours for low wages in dangerous
conditions. The use of federal troops set a dangerous precedent that
gave business leaders the confidence that they could count on the
federal government to quash labor unrest in the future. (From the Daily Bleed and History.com
January 29, 1889
– 6,000 railway workers struck in to demand union recognition and an
end to 18-hour workdays. Police and militia busted the strike. (From TWU)
January 29, 1932 - The first state unemployment insurance law was enacted in Wisconsin. (From Workday Minnesota)
January 29, 1936
– Rubber workers engaged in a sit-down strike in Akron, Ohio, helping
to establish the United Rubber Workers as a national union. (From Workday Minnesota)
July 21, 1877
– 30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great
Upheaval wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future
anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd,
advocating the use of the ballot to obtain "state control of the means
of production," and urged workers to join the workingmen's party.
Parsons was later abducted by armed men who took him to the police where
he was interrogated and informed that he had caused the city great
trouble. (From the Daily Bleed)
July 21, 1887 – 20 striking railroad workers were killed by state troopers in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. (From the Daily Bleed)
July 21, 1964 – Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) blueberry pickers went on strike near Grand Junction, Michigan. (From the Daily Bleed)
January 29, 1834 – Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers rioted on this date, prompting President Jackson to send in troops, the first time American troops were used to suppress a domestic labor dispute. Workers were rebelling because of terrible working conditions and low pay. The canal project had been designed by George Washington and was intended to facilitate transportation of goods from the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River Valley. Construction teams were made up mostly of Irish, German, Dutch and black workers who toiled long hours for low wages in dangerous conditions. The use of federal troops set a dangerous precedent that gave business leaders the confidence that they could count on the federal government to quash labor unrest in the future. (From the Daily Bleed and History.com
January 29, 1889 – 6,000 railway workers struck in to demand union recognition and an end to 18-hour workdays. Police and militia busted the strike. (From TWU)
January 29, 1932 - The first state unemployment insurance law was enacted in Wisconsin. (From Workday Minnesota)
January 29, 1936 – Rubber workers engaged in a sit-down strike in Akron, Ohio, helping to establish the United Rubber Workers as a national union. (From Workday Minnesota)
July 21, 1877 – 30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great Upheaval wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd, advocating the use of the ballot to obtain "state control of the means of production," and urged workers to join the workingmen's party. Parsons was later abducted by armed men who took him to the police where he was interrogated and informed that he had caused the city great trouble. (From the Daily Bleed)
July 21, 1887 – 20 striking railroad workers were killed by state troopers in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. (From the Daily Bleed)
July 21, 1964 – Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) blueberry pickers went on strike near Grand Junction, Michigan. (From the Daily Bleed)
