Today's Labor History

This week’s Labor History Today podcast: “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work”: the Housewives League of Detroit.
Last week’s show: 2020 Great Labor Arts Exchange contest winners!

July 17
Two ammunition ships explode at Port Chicago, Calif., killing 322, including 202 African-Americans assigned by the Navy to handle explosives. It was the worst home-front disaster of World War II. The resulting refusal of 258 African-Americans to return to the dangerous work underpinned the trial and conviction of 50 of the men in what is called the Port Chicago Mutiny - 1944

July 18
The Brotherhood of Telegraphers begins an unsuccessful three-week strike against the Western Union Telegraph Co - 1883

35,000 Chicago stockyard workers strike - 1919

Hospital workers win 113-day union recognition strike in Charleston, S.C. - 1969

July 19
Women's Rights Convention opens in Seneca Falls, N.Y. Delegates adopt a Declaration of Women's Rights and call for women's suffrage - 1848

An amendment to the 1939 Hatch Act, a federal law whose main provision prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity, is amended to also cover state and local employees whose salaries include any federal funds - 1940

- David Prosten

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