Miners in Cripple Creek, Colo., endured deadly battles with mine owners in the 1800s who sought to exploit those desperate for a job.
From the earliest days of the American colonies, when apprentice laborers in Charleston, S.C., went on strike for better pay in the 1700s, to the first formal union of workers in 1829 who sought to reduce their time on the job to 60 hours a week, our nation’s working people have recognized that joining together is the most effective means of improving their lives on and off the job.
Our 21st century workplace rights and protections—like the eight-hour day and laws covering safety and health on the job—have been won by the struggles and sacrifices of working women and men who were empowered by the strength of solidarity and whose actions embodied the America dream of fairness and an opportunity for all to succeed.
This is a story of immigration, prejudice and discrimination, government surveillance and a war on terror, as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Sound familiar? Except this event happened 75 years ago.
