This Week in Labor History: 4/8 – 4/14

April 08 A total of 128 convict miners, leased to a coal company under the state’s shameful convict lease system, are killed in an explosion at the Banner coal mine outside Birmingham, Ala. The miners were mostly African-Americans jailed for minor offenses - 1911...

AFT Guild “Get Active” Website

Dear AFT Guild Members,   This is a reminder of our new “Get Active” site which is replacing our old paper and electronic newsletters with what we hope is a better format.  Included in our second installment is:   The latest “In Focus,”AFT’s Ian Duckles and...

This Week in Labor History: 4/1 – 4/7

April 01 Many believe that Cincinnati on this day became the first U.S. city to pay fire fighters a regular salary. Others say no, it was Boston, back in 1678, exact date unknown - 1853 United Mine Workers of America win 8-hour day - 1898 San Francisco laundry workers...

This Week in Labor History: 3/25 – 3/31

March 25 Toronto printers strike for the 9-hour day in what is believed to be Canada’s first major strike - 1872 First “Poor People’s March” on Washington, in which jobless workers demanded creation of a public works program. Led by populist Jacob Coxey, the 500 to...

This Week in Labor History: 3/18 – 3/24

March 18 Six laborers in Dorset, England—the “Tolpuddle Martyrs”—are banished to the Australian penal colony for seven years for forming a union, the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. Some 800,000 residents of the United Kingdom signed petitions calling for...

REMINDER: AFT Guild Thirsty Thursday – March 14th TODAY!

Dear AFT Guild Members, Just a friendly reminder of our next Thirsty Thursday event - March 14th.  There will be a full food and drink menu available at the event.  See flier below for more details. We are very fortunate to have labor activist Ken Seaton-Msemaji...

This Week in Labor History: 3/11 – 3/17

Influence Inside and Outside the Workplace For every employee, both those in the public and private sector, what goes on in the world of politics has a direct connection to the union’s ability to advance and protect the members’ interests. Legislatures pass and...

AFT Guild Thirsty Thursday – March 14th

Dear AFT Guild Members,   Just a friendly reminder of our next Thirsty Thursday event coming up in five days.  There will be a full food and drink menu available at the event. We are very fortunate to have labor activist Ken Seaton-Msemaji available to share his...