Labor history Sept 12 Debs sentenced to 10 years, Jobless workers march on grocery stores seize food

[Omaha Steve]

September 12

Eugene V. Debs, labor leader and socialist, sentenced to 10 years for opposing World War I. While in jail Debs received 1 million votes for president - 1918

Jobless workers march on grocery stores and seize food in Toledo, Ohio - 1932

United Rubber Workers formed in Akron, Ohio - 1935

Forty-nine people are killed, 200 injured in explosion at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Kenvil, New Jersey - 1940


New York City’s Union Square, the site of the first Labor Day in 1882, is officially named a national historic landmark. The square has long been a focal point for working class protest and political expression - 1998

And this
September 12, 1998 - Union Square in New York City was officially named a national historic landmark. A National Park Service plaque commemorates the square as the site of the first Labor Day in 1882. Over the decades, Union Square has been a focal point for working class protest and political expression. Samuel Gompers spoke at a May Day rally at the square in 1886 and the Industrial Workers of the World – the “Wobblies” – demonstrated frequently during the economic depression of 1914-15. In 1937, retail clerks staged a “lay-down” strike at the Woolworth’s on Union Square, demanding a 40-hour work week.

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/big-labor/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_09_12_2011