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: 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: Dated ca. 1848-1860, this photograph shows the Free Labor Store located in the home of abolitionist Benjamin Lundy in Mount Pleasant in Jefferson County, Ohio. Established by local Quakers, the Free Labor Store sold goods produced by free labor, refusing to sell items that were in any way produced by slaves. Today, the Benjamin Lundy House and Free Labor Store are owned by the Ohio History Connection. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08032
Subjects: Lundy, Benjamin, 1789-1839; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Abolitionists; Quakers; Ohio Economy -- Economy -- Labor
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson 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: Two photographs depict the "Labor Holiday" parade that took place in Warren during the 1937 "Little Steel" Strike. The marchers can be seen passing the main gate of Republic Steel's plant on June 23. National Guard troops are also visible in the photographs, which measure 4.5" by 6.5" (11.43 by 16.5 cm) and are part of a scrapbook maintained by the Republic Steel Corporation documenting events at its Warren Plant during the strike. The scrapbook is labeled Miscellaneous Communications, Posters and Pictures Relating to the C.I.O. Strike of the Warren Plant of the Republic Steel Corporation, Summer 1937, Vol. III. In June 1936 the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers and the Committee for Industrial Organization (C.I.O.) agreed to a joint effort to organize the steel industry. This led to the formation of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (S.W.O.C.). Soon after the first representatives from the S.W.O.C. arrived in the Mahoning Valley to begin their organizin View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1619_2586904_059
Subjects: Business and Labor; Strikes; Steel industry; Congress of Industrial Organizations (U.S.); Labor unions; Parades & processions; Pickets; Ohio. National Guard
Places: Niles (Ohio); Warren (Ohio); Trumbull 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: This 8"" by 10"" (20.32 by 25.4 cm) photograph depicts company housing on Jackson Street in East Youngstown, later renamed Campbell. It documents company efforts to provide adequate housing for workers following labor unrest in 1916. In 1917 the Mahoning Valley's leading steel companies began constructing housing for their employees to rent or own in response to shortages of decent, affordable housing. In the aftermath of the 1916 steel strike and riot (when several blocks of East Youngstown were burned to the ground) the steel companies hoped that offering steelworkers the chance to rent or own a home would promote stability within the workplace and the community. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1621_1867212_001
Subjects: Business and Labor; Labor housing; Houses; Steel industry
Places: East Youngstown (Ohio); Campbell (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

Description: These four 8" by 10" (20.32 by 25.4 cm) photographs depict James Griffin with Senator Hubert Humphrey on Labor Day in 1964. In the first image Griffin is seated on the left, and Humphrey is in the middle. James P. Griffin (1911-1979) was born in Struthers, Ohio. As a teenager, he began working in the steel industry with jobs at Struthers Steel and Youngstown Sheet & Tube. Prior to the development of the United Steelworkers of America and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, Griffin was active in organizing workers in the Youngstown area. In 1933 he assisted in forming the Teamsters Local 377. Griffin later became a member of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee at its inception in 1936. In 1946 he was elected District 26 director of the United Steelworkers of America and was re-elected five consecutive times. While in office Griffin was active in recruiting new members and union membership more than doubled during his years as director. Along with assisting in local negotia View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1633_1911202_001
Subjects: Presidents and Politics; Business and Labor; Steel industry; Labor unions
Places: Youngstown (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

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
 

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: Photograph showing Ohio Trailer Supply Co. next to Bob's Place restaurant at the northeast corner of Mound and 4th Street in Columbus, Ohio. The second floor of this building held a meeting room known as Druid's Hall. A caption on the back of the photograph reads "Druid Hall. South Fourth and E. Mound where AFL was organized in 1886. (N.B. This is not the building where the AF of L was founded. It was founded at 146 S. 4th St.)" 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: SC0836_002
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--20th century; City and town life; Streets--Ohio--Columbus; Labor unions--Ohio;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three photographs document vandalism at the Republic Steel Corporation's Warren Plant during the 1937 ""Little Steel"" Strike. The first photograph shows derailed train cars on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks on June 15. In the second workers are seen replacing the derailed cars. The third shows railroad cars with opened pockets. These 4.5"" by 6.5"" (11.43 by 16.5 cm) photographs are part of a scrapbook maintained by the Republic Steel Corporation documenting events at its Warren Plant during the strike. The scrapbook is labeled Miscellaneous Communications, Posters and Pictures Relating to the C.I.O. Strike of the Warren Plant of the Republic Steel Corporation, Summer 1937, Vol. III. In June 1936 the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers and the Committee for Industrial Organization (C.I.O.) agreed to a joint effort to organize the steel industry. This led to the formation of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (S.W.O.C.). Soon after the first representatives from the S.W.O.C. arrived in the Mahoning Valley to begin their organizing efforts. On March 26, 1937 the organizing committee signed a contract with U.S. Steel, the nation's largest steel producer. Six weeks later the second largest steel company in the country, Jones & Laughlin, followed the example of U.S. Steel. Following these victories the S.W.O.C. increased its efforts at reaching agreements with the smaller companies known as the ""Little Steel"" companies: Republic Steel, Inland Steel, and Youngstown Sheet and Tube. Talks between the organizing committee and the steel companies broke down and on May 26, 1937 approximately 25,000 Mahoning Valley steelworkers walked off their jobs from Republic Steel and Youngstown Sheet and Tube. Most of the mills shut down with the start of the strike. However, Republic Steel kept their Warren and Niles plants open using non-striking steelworkers. This led to a number of violent confrontations outside the mills. With no end to the strike in sight, Youngstown Sheet and Tube and Republic Steel announced on June 21 that the mills will be re-opened for those workers wanted to return to work. Fearing the violence that would follow attempts to re-open the plants, Ohio Governor Martin Davey ordered National Guard troops to the Mahoning Valley and on June 22 nearly 2,000 National Guardsmen arrived in Youngstown and Warren. The arrival of the National Guard signaled the beginning of the end of the strike. On June 25 striking steelworkers began returning to work under the protection of the National Guard. The steel companies also began hiring new workers to replace those who remained on strike. Soon the mills were running at near full capacity and most of the striking steelworkers had returned to their jobs. On July 6 the National Guard reduced its presence in the Mahoning Valley and the strike was effectively over. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1619_2587090_056
Subjects: Transportation; Business and Labor; Strikes; Steel industry; Congress of Industrial Organizations (U.S.); Labor unions; Vandalism; Railroads
Places: Niles (Ohio); Warren (Ohio); Trumbull County (Ohio)