Today in Labor History May 16 SCOTUS issued the Mackay decision, Black labor leader dies1,600 STRIK

[Omaha Steve]

May 16

May 16, 1898 - Some 1,600 woodworkers in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, went on strike at seven sash and door manufacturers. The citywide strike was a determined clash between the employer community and the workers. Key issues were raises – the workers had no pay increase for four years – and a demand for union recognition.


Minneapolis general strike backs Teamsters, who are striking most of the city’s trucking companies - 1934

U.S. Supreme Court issues Mackay decision, which permits the permanent replacement of striking workers. The decision had little impact until Ronald Regan’s replacement of striking air traffic controllers (PATCO) in 1981, a move that signalled antiunion private sector employers that it was OK to do likewise - 1938

And this: May 16, 1938 - The U.S. Supreme Court issued the Mackay decision permitting employers to permanently replace striking workers. The court said management could not fire strikers, but could "permanently replace" them, a distinction without a difference. Employers used this weapon sparingly until the 1980s, when its use increased under the influence of the Reagan administration’s anti-union policies. Efforts in the 1990s to pass legislation in Congress to outlaw permanent replacements failed. The United States remains one of the countries in the world where it is legal for strikers to lose their jobs.


Black labor leader and peace activist A. Philip Randolph dies. He was president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and first black on the AFL-CIO executive board, and a principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington - 1979 (for more on Randolph, check out A. Philip Randolph: A Biographical Portrait in the UCS bookstore)

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_05_16_2011