Today in Labor History Jan 2 Formation of IWW, Palmer Raids, Sago Mine 11 die cited 273 times safety

[Omaha Steve]

January 2


Conference of 23 industrial unionists in Chicago leads to formation of IWW, the Industrial Workers of the World, also known as Wobblies - 1905

And this: January 2, 1905 - A conference of 23 industrial unionists in Chicago issued a manifesto calling for an industrial Union Congress to be held in Chicago June 27 of that year. The June Congress resulted in the formation of the Industrial Workers of the World. Known as "Wobblies," these advocates of revolutionary unionism believed that only by building "one big union" could the workers of the world combine to overthrow the management class. Read more on the IWW's history and current activities at www.iww.org

In what became known as Palmer Raids, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer arrests 4,000 foreign-born labor agitators. He believed Communism was “eating its way into the homes of the American workman,” and Socialists were causing most of the country’s social problems - 1920

An underground explosion at Sago Mine in Tallmansville, W. Va., traps 12 miners and cuts power to the mine. Eleven men die, mostly by asphyxiation. The mine had been cited 273 times for safety violations over the prior 23 months - 2006

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_01_02_2011