"All that harms labor is treason to America." - Abraham Lincoln

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In honor of the 200th anniversary of the first wage earner's strike in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, a professor at Providence College along with his Public History class compiled 200 moments in labor history since 1824.  Let us explore how labor power has grown, waned, and changed over two centuries.

 

New York Draft Riots, 1863
Workers in New York City rioted against draft laws for the Civil War. White laborers feared that their jobs would be taken if they were drafted, and also that the Emancipation Proclamation would drive freed slaves north leading to more job competition.  

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New York Dock Strike, 1863
After 3,000 white dock workers went on strike in New York, Black workers were brought in to take their places. Similar events happened throughout the East and Midwest in Albany, Boston, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit. This caused violence between white dock workers and unemployed Black workers.  

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Troy Laundry Strike, 1864
Kate Mullany and Esther Keegan formed the Collar Laundry Union and organized a strike of about 300 women from 14 different laundry factories in Troy, New York. The women protested the difficult 14-hour workdays and sought a wage increase of 20 to 25 percent. These long days proved especially grueling when the women also had household and family responsibilities. After five and a half days, the strike was a success and the employers agreed to their demands. 

 

Founding of the National Labor Union, 1866
The National Labor Union was founded in Baltimore, Maryland and lobbied for a nationally recognized 8-hour workday for employees. The union was born at a meeting between the unions of coachmakers (manufacturers of horse-drawn carriages), mechanics, ironworkers, and blacksmiths. This call was not answered but was a starting point for changes in the labor system in the United States.  

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Chinese Railroad Laborers Strike, 1867
Chinese railroad laborers stopped work for 30 miles in California and demanded higher wages and a reduction of working hours. Working on the Central Pacific Railroad was dangerous for the laborers because of the tunnels that needed to be made in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This strike would not be successful due to the CPRR cutting off food and water to the labor camps but would still send a powerful message.