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Labor History
Many Americans take for granted the labor laws which protect us from many of the exploitations used by employers in the past. We should remember that many brave men, women, and children fought and even died to secure the labor rights we enjoy today. The Labor Movement has a rich history in the Commonwealth, beginning even before the American Revolution. This history is something that all citizens of the Commonwealth should take pride in. Though the struggles of Massachusetts Labor are not over, we must pay our respects to those who fought so that we might have the freedoms that they were denied. One such hero of the Labor Movement is Edward Cohen, a former President of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Cohen spent his life fighting for the working men and women of this Commonwealth. Cohen made the ultimate sacrifice to the Labor Movement when he was assassinated in the Governor’s office. He will be honored in the form of a plaque that will be permanently hung in the State House. To learn more about the plaque and the heroic man it is dedicated to, visit our Edward Cohen Plaque page: To learn more about the struggles and victories of the Massachusetts Labor Movement, visit any of the pages below.
Text and illustrations reprinted by permission from Commonwealth of Toil by Tom Juravich, William F. Hartford and James R. Green. published by University of Massachusetts Press. »
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