In the early 20th century, Orange County sat in the heart of what was known as the citrus belt. As the decades passed, cement and high-rise buildings replaced the once abundant orchards. Still, the names of the cities, streets and even the county name itself act as constant reminders that this was once citrus country. […]
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History books tell the tale of America, from the beginning of the country’s origins to our greatest accomplishments. In rare moments, one may even find a nod to the accomplishments of labor. However the true story of the American worker can only be found among campfire stories and folk songs. It is among the narrative […]
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Throughout our history, a specific lexicon of songs has been burned into our nation’s consciousness. These songs have acted as a link, unifying generations through a common culture. Among these ballads one song in particular, This Land is Our Land, has come to represent the heart and soul of the American spirit. However, few realize […]
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On June 21, 1877, four Irish-born miners sat in a Pennsylvania cell waiting for their death sentence to be answered by a hangman’s noose. The four men were accused of murder and of having been members of the notorious Molly Maguires. Their conviction and execution rested on the testimony of a single Pinkerton detective. This […]
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On the evening of February 11, 1968, more than 700 sanitation workers packed into the Labor Temple in Memphis to discuss their increasing frustration with the workplace. During this time of racial segregation, the occupation of sanitation workers was viewed as demeaning and fit only for African Americans. For years, tension had been building between […]
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On February 27, 1937, Floyd Loew. An organizer from the Waiters and Waitresses Union, stood among the bustling Saturday afternoon crowd in a Woolworth’s Five-and-Dime store in Detroit. At 11 a.m. Loew yelled out, “Strike, girls! Strike!” Every worker immediately stopped in her tracks, leaving customers and management bewildered. Loew had no idea those three […]
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Mass production industries were developing on a wide scale in the early 1930’s. The need for new methods of union organizing became abundantly clear. The leadership within the American Federation of Labor (AFL), argued that these new industries should be organized as in the past on a craft basis. This often meant that there could […]
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In the early evening of May 15, 1923, Upton Sinclair stood before a crowd on Liberty Hill in San Pedro. Known for years as a muckraker and radical author, Sinclair had a gift for using words to challenge social injustice. In 1906, he published The Jungle, a novel that told of the atrocious working conditions […]
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Not long ago, American workers spent the majority of their waking hours ar work. It was common for them to toil six 12-hour days a week in their jobs. In many cases, shifts often exceeded 13 to 14 hours of work in a day. As trade unions struggled to secure their rightful place in society, […]
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