US labor timeline by Kendra Brunt

1866-Founding of the National Labor Union

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:15:45 UTC

The Natonal Labor Union was the first labor rules in the US. They fought for 8 hour work days. They ended up falling in the 1870s due to the Great Depression.

1869- Founding of the Knights of Labor

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:21:10 UTC

As the NLU faded this organization grows with over 800,000 members. What the Founding of the Knights of labor did was fought for not only 8 hour days but also higher wages, women’s economic rights, racial equality, and even laws against child labor

1886: Haymarket bombing in Chicago

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:25:29 UTC

As a rally grew in support of the 8 hour work days. An angry person decides to throw a bomb into the crowd. It ends up killing seven policemen and several civilians. Eventually at trial eight anarchists are convicted of conspiracy and seven ended up getting sentenced to death.

1912: Textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:35:10 UTC

in the strike in Lawerence Massachusetts over 20,000 woman and girls walk out of the mills due to a pay cut and go on strike. Multiple mothers and pregnant women and even children got beat by the police. Eventually the companies agree to the workers demands.

1934: Textile workers strike

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:41:01 UTC

Over 400,000 workers from the south all the way to New England went on strike for thirty hour week,minimum wages,union recognition, and better working conditions. More so in the south employers send local and state authorities, who ended up send the police and National Guard to basically send war on the strikers. they end up calling off the strike which ends up making the south un-unionized for the rest of the century.

1937: Memorial Day massacre in Chicago

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:43:19 UTC

in a protesting crowd of hundreds of people who gathered to protest the refusal of small steel manufacturers to negotiate with SWOC. The Chicago police came and shot 10 unarmed people and injured many other people. The police were not charged.

1985: Hormel Foods strike

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:44:24 UTC

this long strike lasting over 10 months with the Hormal food workers on strike for the wage cuts. They end up leading to a national boycott of Hormal food products. Unfortunately the workers cannot hold out against the opposition.

1993: Bill Clinton signs NAFTA into law

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:44:56 UTC

Bill Clinton signed the North America Free Trade Agreement into law in 1993 between the U.S, Canada, and Mexico which continued the neoliberal attack.

1999: Seattle protests occur against the World Trade Organization

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:45:39 UTC

over 10,000 protesters marched through the streets of seattle while the WTO met downtown. This was the first major protest in the U.S against the corporal organizations. The protesters got what they wanted.

2012: Chicago Teachers Union strike

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:46:07 UTC

CTU embraces a militant, social-movement strategy to fight back against the national assault on public schools and teachers’ unions.

June, 2011: Protests in Madison, Wisconsin

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:46:33 UTC

more than 100,000 demonstrate in and around the Capitol building to protest against Governor Scott Walker’s bill to strip public employers.

1963: Kennedy signs the Equal Pay Act

kendrabrunt — 2025-06-05 13:47:52 UTC

this law was made so woman and men would have the same pay wages. It allowed woman's pay to increase dramatically over the next 50 years.