Illinois Labor History Society

10/10/2026

A truly remarkable effort by ILHS member John Jentz, a translation of a Chicago labor history by German socialist carpenter Jacob Winnen, published in 1917.... A true treasure, and thanks to John for his efforts on this...

10/10/2026

https://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/october-10-with-a-push-of-a-button-oceans-are-joined/

On this day in Labor History the year was 1913. At 2:02 in the afternoon President Woodrow Wilson at the White House touched of an explosion at the Gamboa D**e in Panama. With that touch of a button the last barrier to joining the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Panama Canal we...

10/09/2026

ALERT - Chicago Hotel strike HERE Local 1... The Sheraton Grand, The Waldorf, The Palmer House, The Knickerbocker, Westin River North, and Westin Michigan Avenue. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CLFNG3oAK/

10/09/2026

https://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/october-9-the-end-of-the-boom-boom-room-1696864928/

On this day in Labor History the year was 1997. That was the day that a group of female employees at the investment firm Smith Barney came to a tentative agreement to settle a sexual harassment law suit against the firm. Smith Barney was one of the oldest Wall Street firms, with a reputation for res...

10/08/2026

https://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/october-8-the-great-chicago-fire-1696864785/

On this day in Labor History the year was 1871. That was the day that the Great Chicago Fire began. The fire started in a barn on the property of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. Legend pins the blame for starting a fire on a cow. Whatever the cause, the fire spread quickly through the cities wooden...

10/07/2026

https://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/october-7-housing-now/

On this day in Labor History the year was 1989. That was the day thousands of people marched on Washington to protest against homelessness. They gathered to protest against massive cuts in federal housing funding. President Reagan had cut the budget of the Department of Housing and Urban Development...

10/06/2026

Bill Clinton Signs the Hatch Act

On this day in Labor History the year was 1993. That was the day that President Bill Clinton signed into law reforms to the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act was passed in 1939. It limited the political activity of federal employees. The act was passed due to accusations of alleged political cronyism by Demo...

10/05/2026

Hollywood’s Black Friday

On this day in Labor History the year was 1945. That was a day known as in Hollywood “Black Friday.” After World War II, the movie industry began to rake in profits. But they did not pass those on to their employees. 10,000 members of the Conference of Studio Unions, were on strike. They were pa...

10/04/2026

https://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/october-4-a-chain-reaction-of-human-misery-1601817397/

On this day in Labor History the year was 1918. That was the evening that a series of explosions began at the T.A. Gillespie Company near Morgan, New Jersey. The explosions would destroy the plant and 300 buildings and kill an estimated 100 people. The world was embroiled in war. The Unites States h...

10/03/2026

https://laborhistoryin2.podbean.com/e/october-3-remembering-woody-guthrie-1696331073/

On this day in Labor History the year was 1967. That was the day that the “Dust-bowl Troubadour,” Woody Guthrie, died. Over the course of his life, Woody Guthrie wrote almost 3,000 songs. He was one of the thousands of people who took the road during the Great Depression, swept into wandering by...