New museum exhibition explores evolution of the state’s Union history

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.midlothianexchange.com/index.php/news/article/new-museum-exhibition-explores-evolution-of-the-states-union-history/23457/

Published: September 05, 2010

Courtesy of Virginia Historical Society
More than likely, most Virginia women have never said, “Thank you, Lucy Randolph Mason, for advocating for women’s rights in the 1920s.” Virginia children don’t stop and think, “I could be working in a factory right now if it weren’t for the National Child Labor Committee display at the 1907 Jamestown Exposition.” Many African American workers in Virginia might not realize that the jobs they currently hold could be a result of a strike at Richmond tobacco stemmeries in 1937. And the majority of working Virginians probably have no idea how the 1935 Wagner Act and 1947 Taft-Hartley Act affected the work they do today.

In a new exhibition titled “Organized Labor in Virginia,” opening Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2010, the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) explores the evolution of organized labor in Virginia, from pre-union contracts and apprenticeship agreements in the early 19th century through the 1950s, when the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) merged in order to become even more powerful and effective in advancing conditions for working people.


1903 strike against Virginia Passenger and Power Co., operator of the Richmond and Petersburg streetcar lines, was supported by much of the community. The strike lasted two months and became so violent that the National Guard was called out to protect persons and property, while streetcars continued to run with the aid of strikebreakers. Militiamen guarded the company offices at 7th and Main streets in Richmond while half a dozen rode the open car leading the line on Seventh Street. Strikers ultimately failed in their efforts to win better pay and hours. | photo courtesy of the Virginia Historical Society, 2005.0138


“For most people, unless they have someone in their family who has been a union member or has been very involved with union work, they have no idea how organized labor has shaped their working world today,” said William Rasmussen, lead curator at the Virginia Historical Society. “This exhibition will show visitors, especially young visitors, that there hasn’t always been a 40-hour work week, minimum wage, health benefits, and required lunch breaks. Thousands of Virginia workers—white, black, male, female, young, old—have sacrificed and suffered to give us the adequate, healthy, and safe working environment that most of us presently enjoy.”

“Organized Labor in Virginia” features more than 75 items, including photographs, union agreements, boycott notices, charters for union groups and associations, membership certificates, plaques and badges, meeting notes, and propaganda posters. A dozen small narratives—spread over time, statewide locations, and different occupations—each encapsulate part of the larger story. The exhibition focuses not only on industrial actions, but also lobbying by unions for improved pay, benefits, working conditions, and social legislation.

Presenting sponsors for “Organized Labor in Virginia” include Geoff McDonald & Associates and the Virginia AFL-CIO. Additional support for the exhibition was provided by Injured Workers Pharmacy, International Association of Machinist & Aerospace Workers, Teamsters Joint Council No. 83, Michie Hamlett Lowry Rasmussen & Tweel, PLLC, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

FULL story at link.