Description: Broadside entitled "How to Form a Trade Union or Federal Labor Union, " published by the American Federation of Labor ca. 1900. The broadside outlines six requirements to form a trade or federal labor union as well as a small paragraph on how to form a central labor union. The American Federation of Labor is one of the first labor union federations established in the United States, and merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: VFM6221
Subjects: Labor movement--United States--History--20th century; Labor unions--Ohio; Social movements;
 

Description: This photograph shows police clashing with strikers at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber strike in Akron, Ohio, in late May 1938. Two police officers are holding raised batons as they and other police advance toward a group of workers. The activity is taking place along a brick and iron fence. A car with a driver at the wheel is visible to the right of the workers and police. One hundred people were injured during this strike. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, factory workers faced poor working conditions, low wages, and almost no benefits. This was true for the workers employed by rubber manufacturers in Akron, Ohio, such the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, B.F. Goodrich, and Firestone. In an attempt to alleviate their conditions, workers went on strike and left the factory to join picket lines. Company owners often hired “scab” laborers to cross the picket lines and continue production. This practice made it difficult for striking workers to obtain their demands. In 1935, rubber workers in Akron, Ohio, tried a new approach to strikes, the sit-down strike, in which workers stopped working but still occupied their places within the factory. This process meant that the factory owners could not send in additional workers to continue the job. In addition, factory management was more reluctant to use private security forces or other strike breakers to intimidate the striking workers, as that approach threatened destruction to plant property. In 1935, the rubber workers organized a union, the United Rubber Workers (URW). In its first year the URW created thirty-nine local chapters. This union’s goals were to improve wages and working conditions for its members, and it soon had its first opportunity. The URW organized its first strike against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company the following year. This sit-down strike began as a protest against a plan created by Goodyear to reduce wages and increase the pace of production. In addition to the sit-down strike, the rubber workers also organized long picket lines in protest. Akron’s mayor, Lee D. Schroy, attempted to send in the police to put down the strike, but the police officers refused to do so when they faced the thousands of organized workers. After the violent strike in May 1938, three more years of cooperation between the new URW and Goodyear elapsed before the first formal contract was signed in 1941. In the long term, Goodyear was forced to recognize URW and negotiate better contracts with workers. Legislation passed during the New Deal required industries to recognize unions and legitimized collective bargaining, increasing the URW's popularity and success even further. By the end of World War II, membership had grown to almost 200,000. After World War II, the URW continued to work to improve laborers conditions. The union began negotiating industry-wide agreements rather than focusing on one factory. The union also became more inclusive, working to reduce gender and racial discrimination both within the union itself and in the workplace. The URW also negotiated pension plans and insurance plans with employers. In the 1990s, the URW merged with the United Steelworkers to form an even stronger union. This union still strives to improve its members' working conditions, wages, and benefits. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06154
Subjects: Strikes; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; United Rubber Workers of America; Labor unions--Ohio; Labor movement--United States--History--20th century; Strikes and lockouts--Rubber industry; Business and Labor; Akron (Ohio)
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: A labor activist identified as Fatica Ayers holds a flag during a labor strike in Columbus, Ohio. A handwritten caption on the back reads "Fatica Ayers of the Executive Council of District 1199, The Health Care and Social Service Union, S.E.I.U. expressed solidarity with the striking Greyhound drivers, A.T.U. 1043. When 1199 members joined the picket line Sept. 7th to lend active support, Columbus police intervened and three 1199 organizers were arrested for rioting in a subsequent shuffle." This photograph was taken for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F08_08
Subjects: Strikes; Demonstrations; Activism; Labor movement--United States--History--20th century; Labor unions -- Ohio;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Portrait of George DeNucci, ca. 1920-1929. DeNucci was president of the Columbus Federation of Labor. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02814
Subjects: Labor unions--Ohio; Labor movement--United States--History--20th century
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Terence V. Powderly (1849-1924) led the Knights of Labor, a powerful advocate for the eight-hour day in the 1870s and early 1880s. Under Powderly's leadership, the union discouraged the use of strikes and advocated restructuring society along cooperative lines. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03915
Subjects: Labor leaders; Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
 

Description: AFL-CIO United Farm Workers demonstration in Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1973. The UFW called for boycotts of grapes and lettuce after disputes over expiring contracts without elections. This photograph was taken by a photographer for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05845
Subjects: Demonstrations; Protests and protestors; Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor; Strikes
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Women marching during a Labor Day parade in Columbus, Ohio, September 5, 1983. They carry a banner for the Coalition of Labor Union Women--Central Ohio Chapter. The CLUW is a non-profit organization for women in trade unions, associated with the AFL-CIO. This photograph was taken by photographer Allen Zak for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F11_10
Subjects: Ohio women; Social issues; Labor Day; Labor unions -- Ohio;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Delegates to the 1st Ohio Industrial Union Council (also known as the Ohio CIO) convention, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, 1938. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00647
Subjects: Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Political Action Committee meeting about the Taft-Hartley Act, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, 1948. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00648
Subjects: Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Delegates vote at CIO political action committee rally, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, 1952 View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00649
Subjects: Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Union members attending labor organizing class at Ohio CIO (or AFL-CIO) Summer School, ca. 1950-1959. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00650
Subjects: Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor; Education
 

Description: Labor organizers attending Ohio CIO (or AFL-CIO) Summer School, ca. 1950-1959. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00651
Subjects: Labor unions--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor