Here’s today’s labor history:
On this date in 1834, responding to unrest among Irish laborers building the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, President Andrew Jackson ordered the first use of American troops to suppress a labor dispute.
In 1936, a sit-down strike in Akron, Ohio, helped establish the United Rubber Workers as a national union.
On this date in 1981, Dolly Parton hit number one on the record charts with "9 to 5," her anthem to the daily grind.
And in 2009. newly-elected President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, making it easier for women and minorities to win pay discrimination suits.
Today’s labor quote is by Madeleine Kunin:
“The health benefits of paid sick days policies are obvious. They prevent the spread of disease. But the impact is wider. If a working mom or dad loses a job because of sickness, the family may slip into poverty.”
Madeleine Kunin is an American diplomat and politician. She was the Governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991 and served as United States Ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999.