Taking a Look at Pittsburgh’s Labor History
From the Battle of Homestead to one of the largest Labor Day parades in the country, the Steel City has been a key player in the long haul toward workers' rights.
PHOTO VIA FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
Labor Day is symbolic of a lot of things — the last weekend of summer, a sign to retire your white pants to your closest until Memorial Day or the closing of your community pool.
But the true meaning of Labor Day, as the name suggests, is to celebrate the laborers, the American workers and their contributions to the country. The holiday has roots dating all the way to the late 1800s.
The origins of Labor Day, more specifically its true founder, is somewhat ambiguous. According to the U.S Department of Labor, two men can be credited for its creation. The first is Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. In 1882, he proposed setting a general holiday for the laboring class to honor “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”
Others say that Matthew Maguire, the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.
McGuire or Maguire, the message of Labor Day remains the same — celebrating the laborers who serve as the backbone of our country and honoring their fight to create fair working conditions.
The first organized Labor Day parade, called the “workingmen’s holiday” then, was held in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union. Thousands of workers descended on the streets of the Big Apple to draw attention to labor issues and to show the “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” According to The Frick.
Working conditions were not the same as they are today. Laborers worked longer shifts, with little pay and less protections.
Unions have always been at the center of Labor Day. In June of 1894, the American Railway Union began a strike against the Pullman Company due to a reduction of wages. By the end of the strike, dozens of workers were killed in ensuing riots. According to Union Plus, that was the spark needed for President Grover Cleveland to make Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.
For Heather Abraham, SAG-AFTRA’s Ohio-Pittsburgh Local President, Labor Day is about remembering the role unions have had in the labor movement and the creation of the holiday. SAG-AFTRA is an American Labor Union that represents media professionals worldwide. In the Ohio-Pittsburgh chapter alone, they represent around 1,600 members.
“It’s a reminder of the importance of our unions, what an amazing role Pittsburgh has played in that,” Abraham says. “All the work we have done since the 1800s until now, workers are stronger together.”
Pittsburgh, a historically industrial city, unsurprisingly has deep roots in the labor movement. In June of 1982, after failing negotiations between the Carnegie Steel Company and labor unions, Henry Clay Frick, acting on Andrew Carnegie’s orders, shut down the Homestead Steel Works and fired union workers.
Violence ensued, and in the end, the management won; they called in Pinkertons, a private security agency, and while some of the details of the confrontation have been lost to time, it is estimated that 10-16 people were killed. The fire fight went down in history as the Battle of Homestead, and remains an important part of the city’s labor history.
The Homestead Steel Works strike and battle are not Pittsburgh’s only claim to fame when it comes to the labor movement. Pittsburgh boasts one of the largest Labor Day parades in the country. The local SAG-AFTRA chapter marches in it every year, and for Abraham, it is one of her favorite days.
“It reminds me of why we are involved in this,” she says.
