Violent suppression of worker strikes was a feature of labor activity early in the 20th century.  Organized labor made large gains in the 1930s, however.  In the context of the Great Depression, union militancy surged, and workers won the legal right to collective bargaining in 1935 with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act.  Three years later, the Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted, establishing a federal minimum wage and the 40 hour work week. Many of labor’s legal rights were rolled back with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947.  War Stories recounts some of these labor struggles as they unfolded in New York City and the South. 

After the Thursday, June 2 performance of War Stories, Professor Ruth Milkman from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and CUNY Graduate Center discusses the impact on U.S. women workers of economic crisis and war in the 1930s and ‘40s. Learn more about Professor Milkman at: http://www.ruthmilkman.info. For further information contact: warstoriesplay@gmail.com