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TODAY’S LABOR HISTORY

Harold Phillips | Published on 6/1/2026

1888: The Ladies Federal Labor Union Number 2703, based in Illinois, was granted a charter from the American Federation of Labor.

1916: 12,500 longshoremen strike the Pacific coast, from San Diego to Bellingham. Demands included a closed shop and a wage increase to 55 cents an hour for handling general cargo.

1966: Farm workers under the banner of the new United Farm Workers Organizing Committee strike at Texas’s La Casita Farms, demanding $1.25 as a minimum hourly wage.

1981: ILWU Local 37 leaders Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes are assassinated in the union’s Seattle, WA offices.