The 1968 Sanitation Workers’ Strike That Drew MLK to MemphisWith the slogan, “I am a man,” workers in Memphis sought financial justice in a strike that fatefully became Martin Luther King Jr.’s final cause.Read more
How Detroit Factories Retooled During WWII to Defeat HitlerAmerica’s largest industry shifted from making cars to bombers, tanks and more—at unparalleled speed.Read more
Minimum Wage in America: A TimelineSince 1938, the U.S. federal government has established that workers are entitled to a base hourly wage. Which workers receive that minimum—and how much—has remained a political issue.Read more
Why the Great Steel Strike of 1919 Was One of Labor’s Biggest FailuresPlagued by bad press and fraught with racial and ethnic tensions, the huge steel strike was doomed to fail.Read more
The 1936 Sit‑Down Strike That Brought a Powerful Automaker to its KneesOver 136,000 GM workers participated in the strike in Flint, Michigan that became known as ‘the strike heard round the world.’Read more
How a Deadly Railroad Strike Led to the Labor Day HolidayWhen the federal government was called in to suppress a railroad workers’ strike, dozens were killed and politicians sought a way to show they still supported workers.Read more
Andrew Carnegie Claimed to Support Unions, But Then Destroyed Them in His Steel EmpireThe magnate with humble roots claimed to be pro‑union, but his actions didn’t match his rhetoric.Read more
How the Horrific Tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Led to Workplace Safety LawsThe 1911 factory blaze shocked the nation and spurred new regulations to protect factory workers.Read more
When Truckers Shut Down America to Protest Oil Prices—and Became Folk HeroesThe strike started when one driver, mad as hell about the OPEC oil crisis, turned off his engine and got on his CB radio.Read more
These Appalling Images Exposed Child Labor in AmericaIn 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under the age of 16.Read more
The Haymarket Riot: When a Protest Against Anti‑Labor Police Brutality Turned ViolentTake a look back at one of the controversial chapters in America’s 19th‑century labor movement.Read more
The Strike That Shook AmericaTake a look back at a landmark victory for American workers: the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike.Read more
