Today in labor history Oct 23 Petroleum refinery in Pasadena, Texas, kills 23 and injures 314

October 23

October 23, 1844 - Louis Riel, leader of the Metis people, was born. The Metis, of French and Native American ancestry, established several communities, including Little Canada, just north of St. Paul. “Pig’s Eye” Parrant, the founder of St. Paul, was a Metis. Riel himself worked briefly in St. Paul before returning to Canada to lead a revolutionary movement of native people. In 1869, they briefly seized Fort Garry (the modern-day city of Winnipeg) and established a provisional government with Riel as president. After participating in several other uprisings, Riel was found guilty of treason and hanged. His death led to fierce outbreaks of racialism in Quebec and Ontario and marked the beginning of the nationalist movement.

Explosion and fire at Phillips Petroleum refinery in Pasadena, Texas, kills 23 and injures 314 - 1989

John Sweeney, president of the Service Employees Intl. Union, elected president of AFL-CIO - 1995

probably been able to help in this area. But the past eight years the mechanics of most services, I thought were functioning, really were not.