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A daily, pocket-sized history of America's working people, brought to you by The Rick Smith Show team.
Monday Feb 15, 2021
On this day in labor history, the year was 1910.
That was the day the ‘Uprising of the 20,000’ officially ended in New York City.
As many as 30,000 young, predominantly immigrant Jewish women went back to work after a bitter 11-week strike.
They faced down their bosses, police and the courts. Arrests and fines drained much of the union’s funds.
Young union leaders like Clara Lemlich had been arrested 17 times and suffered 6 broken ribs.
Women garment workers spent most of the winter running to union meetings, handing out leaflets, walking picket lines, raising funds and distributing strike benefits.
Many smaller shops settled in workers’ favor early on in the strike.
By mid-February, closed shop demands kept many workers on the picket lines.
The strike ended with partial, but real victories. Garment workers won the 52-hour workweek, 4 paid holidays, employer-paid tools and materials, collectively bargained wages and more.
The ILGWU started the strike with 100 members and had 20,000 by the end.
All but 14 of the city’s 353 shops signed contracts.
But many garment workers continued to face unsafe working conditions like locked doors and flimsy or non-functioning fire escapes.
Safety-related demands would not be addressed until after the 60,000 strong cloak makers strike the following summer.
One of the largest factories and worst offenders was Triangle ShirtWaist.
Workers there went back with no agreement.
147 would die a year later in a tragic fire.
In the aftermath, basic fire safety principles were finally established and implemented in New York State workplaces.
These formed the foundations for many modern day fire safety practices, like exit signs and doors, better ventilation and sprinkler systems, fire alarms and drills.
April 2 - Trouble in the Sweetest Place on Earth
April 1 - The Promise of 1946
March 31 - Hospital Workers Stand United
March 30 - 15th Amendment Adopted
March 29 - West Coast Hotel v Parrish Decided
March 28 - Partial Meltdown at Three Mile Island
March 27 - FE Strikers Battle Police at Harvester
March 26 - Police Attack UE Amid ‘46 Strike Wave
March 25 - Centralia Coal Mine #5 Explodes
March 24 - Exxon Valdez Runs Aground
March 23 - Texas City Refinery Explosion Kills 15
March 22 - ERA Passes the Senate
March 21 - Truman Signs Loyalty Order
March 20 - Another Deadly Explosion
March 19 - Wartime President Pushes for Labor Peace
March 18 - Wartime Workers Betrayed
March 17 - The Hoggs Hollow Tragedy
March 16 - Big Bill Haywood Talks General Strike
March 15 - The Grapes of Wrath Opens in Theaters
March 14 - Remembering Walter Crane
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