Today in Labor History Nov 29 Louisa May Alcott born, Stores strike Christmas rush, & more

[Omaha Steve]

November 29

November 29, 1832 - Louisa May Alcott, celebrated author and an abolitionist and nurse, was born. Best-known for Little Women, Alcott also wrote Work, an autobiographical novel exposing the exploitation of women workers and the evils of industrialization in 1873.

Clerks, teamsters and building service workers at Boston Stores in Milwaukee strike at the beginning of the Christmas rush. The strike won widespread support – at one point 10,000 pickets jammed the sidewalks around the main store – but ultimately was lost. Workers returned to the job in mid-January with a small pay raise and no union recognition - 1934

National Labor Relations Board rules that medical interns can unionize and negotiate wages and hours - 1999


November 29, 1999 - Thousands of activists, students, union members, environmentalists and others shut down the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit in Seattle. It was the first large-scale demonstration in the United States to protest the corporate agenda for the global economy.

Read more about fair trade at www.citizenstrade.org

Labor history found here:http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_11_29_2009