On September 2, Labor Day will once again be celebrated. The last fling of summer usually means cookouts, pool parties, a last weekend on the lake, and a three-day weekend. Yet, Labor Day is the one day a year set aside to recognize labor and the role it played in building our country.
Ask any union member and they can tell you about Walter Reuther, A. Phillip Randolph, or Mother Jones and they will say yes, we are familiar with all those names. Those and others have been written up in history books, taught in school, and used as examples by labor educators. However, there are those unsung heroes- union members who have led the way without fanfare or fame. This Labor Day, I would like to take a moment to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to further the cause of working families.
1892 Homestead Strike
In 1892, workers at the Homestead Steel Mill, just out of Pittsburg were forced out on strike. After making concessions during the previous contract, the company owned by Andrew Carnegie demanded more cuts in the face of big profits. Workers went on strike, but the mill built a fence around the property and brought in replacement workers. When the strikers refused to leave, the company hired 300 Pinkertons to drive the strikers away. A group came up the river and opened fire on the workers with guns, killing seven. The National Guard was sent in to break the strike. The mill manager bragged he would never deal with the union again. The union was broken, and the workers lost their jobs, except for seven of them, they paid the ultimate sacrifice standing for their fellow members.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City organized in 1909. The clothing company employed about 500 workers, the bulk of which were young immigrant women from Ireland and Italy. In 1909, the workers went on strike for a 20% raise and a 52-hour work week. The raise put them at about $10 a week, less than $400 a week by today’s standards.
The factory occupied the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of a high-rise building in New York. The company still upset from the strike, began locking the fire doors of the building to keep the workers inside. At 4:40 PM on Saturday, March 25, 1911, a flash fire broke out, quickly spreading through the top three floors that housed the factory. The locked fire doors prevented escape for the young women trapped in the inferno. Of the 500 employees, 146 died in the fire, with 62 of those dying from jumping to their death. The locked fire doors prevented workers from the 9th floor from being able to escape. As the fire swept the floor, the workers were faced with being burned alive or jumping. Once the fire department arrived, they didn’t have a ladder truck that could save the poor souls who died a horrible death.
The factory owners Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, were charged with first- and second-degree murder. But their lawyers called the witnesses liars and the two were acquitted, largely because those who died were immigrants. They were eventually charged with wrongful death and had to pay $75 per death as a punishment. Later reports showed the insurance company paid the owners $400 per death, with them profiting from the tragedy.
These are just two examples of how workers have died at the hands of employers. In 1935, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was established to make sure that worker’s rights were being protected. The NLRB is made up of a five-person board that serves a rotating five-year term. The sitting president usually adds three to the board. For the past three years, the NLRB has consisted of former labor attorneys who worked to protect workers. To emphasize the importance of elections, from 2016 to 2020 Donald Trump filled the NLRB with anti-union, corporate attorneys who worked to strip workers of their rights.
This Labor Day, I would ask each of you to pause to remember those Homestead and Triangle Shirtwaist workers who died on the job because a boss placed profits over the lives of workers. To truly honor workers this Labor Day, may we commit ourselves to never forget the sacrifice. We owe a debt to those who worked, who died, who served. May we never fall for the lies of a trust fund baby who recently stated that strikers should be fired.
Stand for workers this Labor Day by remembering and acting on the things we know. On behalf of the entire leadership and staff of Region 8, we wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday.
Who are we?
UAW!
UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith
