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todayinlaborhistory: Today in labor history, May 1, 1886: At its 1884 convention, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (which became the American Federation of Labor), proclaims that “eight hours shall constitute a legal day’s labor from and after May 1, 1886.” The resolution received overwhelming support from FOTLU’s affiliated unions, which organized mass demonstrations and strikes in cities across the country.

todayinlaborhistory:

Today in labor history, May 1, 1886: At its 1884 convention, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (which became the American Federation of Labor), proclaims that “eight hours shall constitute a legal day’s labor from and after May 1, 1886.” The resolution received overwhelming support from FOTLU’s affiliated unions, which organized mass demonstrations and strikes in cities across the country.

timelightbox: Photograph by Camilo José Vergara Charlie looking out the window of the Statue of Liberty Ferry, February 1985. From a distance, they were elegant silver slabs, larger than anything else on the horizon yet often smaller than the nearby smokestacks, bridges and church steeples in the foreground. Almost weightless, the Towers disappeared into the sky, their rectangular shapes barely visible among the spires of the older skyscrapers and the darker forms of the newer ones. Their simple geometric forms — symbols of order and progress — made for a strong presence in the skyline.…Watching the WTC Towers being built, I never imagined that I would outlive them. Today, those tall silvery buildings that once anchored the southern end of Manhattan and indeed shaped the entire city skyline are gone. But the city, ever resilient, has survived 9/11 and now moves on. April 4 marks the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. Camilo José Vergara writes for LightBox about his experience photographing the site over four decades.

timelightbox:

Photograph by Camilo José Vergara

Charlie looking out the window of the Statue of Liberty Ferry, February 1985.

From a distance, they were elegant silver slabs, larger than anything else on the horizon yet often smaller than the nearby smokestacks, bridges and church steeples in the foreground. Almost weightless, the Towers disappeared into the sky, their rectangular shapes barely visible among the spires of the older skyscrapers and the darker forms of the newer ones. Their simple geometric forms — symbols of order and progress — made for a strong presence in the skyline.
…
Watching the WTC Towers being built, I never imagined that I would outlive them. Today, those tall silvery buildings that once anchored the southern end of Manhattan and indeed shaped the entire city skyline are gone. But the city, ever resilient, has survived 9/11 and now moves on.

April 4 marks the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. Camilo José Vergara writes for LightBox about his experience photographing the site over four decades.

“‎You don’t need a church house, you don’t need a temple, you don’t need no rosary beads or them books to read to see that you have fallen.. IF you open up your heart you’ll know what I mean.. We’ve been kept down so long, someone’s thinking that we’re all green.. the Pope owns 51 percent of General Motors… and the stock exchange is the only thing that’s qualified to quote us, the Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see…”

todayinlaborhistory: Today in labor history, March 6, 2012:  Thousands of activists and artists in New York City come together to form the “The Longest Unemployment Line in the World,” stretching for three miles from Wall Street to Union Square.  They held pink slips for 14 minutes to represent the country’s 14 million unemployed workers – all of whom, if standing in a single line, would stretch unbroken around the continental United States, said one of the event’s organizers.

todayinlaborhistory:

Today in labor history, March 6, 2012:  Thousands of activists and artists in New York City come together to form the “The Longest Unemployment Line in the World,” stretching for three miles from Wall Street to Union Square.  They held pink slips for 14 minutes to represent the country’s 14 million unemployed workers – all of whom, if standing in a single line, would stretch unbroken around the continental United States, said one of the event’s organizers.