Today in Labor History Aug 31 Solidarity march for workplace fairness and healthcare reform 1991

August 31


10,000 striking miners began a fight at Blair Mountain, W.Va., for recognition of their union, the UMWA. Federal troops were sent in, and miners were forced to withdraw 5 days later, after 16 deaths - 1921

The Trade Union Unity League is founded as an alternative to the American Federation of Labor, with the goal of organizing along industrial rather than craft lines. An arm of the American Communist Party, the League claimed 125,000 members before it dissolved in the late 1930s - 1929

"Solidarity" workers movement founded as a strike coordination committee at Lenin Shipyards, Gdansk, Poland. The strike launched a wave of unrest in the Soviet Union that ultimately led to its dissolution in 1991 - 1980

August 31, 1985 - The Twin Cities P-9 Support Committee brought its first food caravan to Austin, Minnesota, to aid the Hormel strikers. More than 100 tons of food was donated.


325,000 unionists gathered in Washington, D.C. for a Solidarity Day march and rally for workplace fairness and healthcare reform - 1991

& this: August 31, 1991 - More than 350,000 union members marched in sweltering weather in Washington, D.C., to demand workplace fairness and health care reform. The event was the second Solidarity Day demonstration (the first took place 10 years before, following the PATCO firings).

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_08_31_2009