 |
 The United
States Department of Labor administers and enforces laws that seek
to promote the welfare of U.S. wage earners, to
improve their working conditions, and to advance
their opportunities for employment. |
 The Industrial
Workers of the World was organized in Chicago on June 27,
1905, by opponents of the moderate policies in
the labor movement. It wanted to bring all
workers of each industry into one industrial
union, and sought to overturn the capitalist
system and set up a socialist government. |
 The Knights of Labor was the first labor organization in
America to organize all workers into a single
union, rather than into separate trade unions. It
was founded as a secret fraternal lodge by Uriah
S. Stephens and eight other Philadelphia tailors
in 1869. |
 Jacob Sechler Coxey
was the owner of a sand quarry in 1894 when he
organized a march on Washington to protest the
government's failure to come to the aid of
American workers during the Panic of 1893. When
his "Army" of about 500 reached
Washington, he was arrested by local authorities
and his demands went unheard by the government. |
 Samuel Gompers
helped found the American Federation of Labor in
1886, and served as its first president until his
death in 1924. Throughout his tenure he was well
respected by government officials,
business leaders, and labor alike for his
integrity, generosity, and willingness to stand
up to power. |
 Frances Coralie
Perkins became the first woman to
hold a Cabinet position in the United States when
she was named Secretary of Labor in 1933; she
went on to hold that position until 1945, making
her the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in
U.S. history as well. |
