- Massachusetts AFL-CIO
- Massachusetts Labor
- Education & Training
- Organize or Die!
- Political Education
- About Political Education
- Election Year 2010
- The Mass. AFL-CIO and the Mass. Democratic Party
- Past Election Endorsements
- 2009/2010 US Senate Special Election to Replace the Late Edward Kennedy
- Election Year 2008
- Victory 2008: A Closer Look
- Victory Is Just The Beginning
- 2008 Endorsements
- Obama and Biden - The Ticket to Turn Around America
- McCain: McSame as Bush - Bad for Working Families
- Labor 2008: Massachusetts/New Hampshire 2008 Coordinated Campaign
- Vote NO on Question 1 - the campaign to defeat the ballot initiative to eliminate the income tax
- State Legislative Races
- March 2008 Special Election Endorsements
- 2007: Special Elections
- 2006: The Fight for Working Families
- The Employee Free Choice Act
- Register To Vote!
- Find Elected Officials
- Online Legislative/Government Directory
- The Real Romney Record
- Multimedia
- Links and Resources
- Legislative Action
- Legislative Department
- Labor Voting Records
- Legislative Agenda
- 2009-2010 Legislative Agenda
- Destination Resort Casinos
- Modernizing and Protecting Unemployment Insurance
- Paid Sick Days
- Plant Relocation
- Privatizing Contracts
- Protecting Against the Displacement of Current Employees
- Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals
- Safety and Protection at Utility and Construction Sites
- Temporary Workers' Right to Know
- Workers' Compensation - Private Right of Action
- 2007-2008 Legislative Agenda
- 2005-2006 Legislative Agenda
- Define Member Contribution
- Edward Cohen Plaque
- Indexing the Minimum Wage
- Majority Authorization
- New Families Trust Fund
- Outsourcing
- Plant Relocation
- Proper Expenditure of and Accounting for State Funds
- Protecting Employees
- Regulating Outsourcing
- To Ensure Quality Appointments
- Worker's Compensation
- Workforce Solutions Act
- 2009-2010 Legislative Agenda
- Legislative Issues
- Testimony
- The Employee Free Choice Act
- Mass. House and Senate Web Broadcasts
- Online Legislative/Government Directory
- House Committees
- Senate Committees
- Massachusetts Boards and Commissions
- Labor in the Community
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. »
|
