October 12 - Workers Begin to Come Together

Labor History in 2:00 · Oct 12, 2026 · 1m

On this day in Labor History the year was 1845. That was the day that the first Industrial Congress of the United States met in New York. People interested in the problems facing working people—including long hours, low pay and unsafe conditions gathered together.

The labor movement was just beginning in this country. These were the years when early trade unions were formed. Women played an important role in this early movement.

Female textile mill workers in Lowell Massachusetts began to organize for the ten-hour day. In 1844 they established the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association. Their…