Hoosier philosopher Abe Martin, through the pen of Kin Hubbard, asked, “What is a laborin’ man?” and answered, “A laborin’ man is a feller or woman that works in a stone quarry, or a bank, or a foundry, or a grocery, or livery stable, or a millinery store, or one who carries a hod, or writes articles, or, in fact, anybody that works fer a livin’, or just t’ keep employed.”
In a few days Americans will observe Labor Day, a time set aside to honor workers. Mid-morning parades and afternoon picnics will be held in cities and towns around the country and evening fireworks will light up the sky. Workers in New York City held a “great labor demonstration” under the auspices of the Central Labor Union on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 with a parade of 20,000 men which is considered the first Labor Day. Four years later in Indianapolis, members of the Knights of Labor assemblies along with units representing the Central Trade and Labor Union, the Indianapolis Typographical Union, the German printers, bookbinders, and pressmen, and the Cigarmakers’ Union held a “successful demonstration” on Sunday, September 19, 1886. An early morning drenching rain followed by an overcast sky kept parade numbers to only 3,175 people, but an afternoon picnic at the State Fair Grounds drew a crowd of 6,000 to 10,000 people.
By 1888, the first Monday in September had become the accepted date for the celebration of Labor Day from New York to Chicago to Indianapolis. In the Hoosier Capital, participation in the street parade was down because of “a feeling of distrust lest politics should be introduced into the demonstration.” The line of march to the faigrounds originally was to go up Delaware St., passing by the home of Republican Presidential nominee Benjamin Harrison, but it was changed to go up Meridian St. However, some of the marchers diverged over to Delaware St. and those in charge decided it was “not safe” to pass by the Harrison home, so the parade broke up and a majority of the marchers turned back to the city. A feature of this Labor Day parade was an industrial display by seventy-five manufacturers and merchants who “handsomely decorated” wagons on which several held “machinery in full operation.” The breweries led the industrial division of the procession with a dozen wagons “all loaded with kegs of beer.”
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) called upon the States to establish Labor Day as a legal holiday. By the time the bill, sponsored by Indiana state representative Henry Thienes (Democrat – Indianapolis), making Labor Day a state holiday became law in 1891, fourteen other States had formalized the first Monday in September as a day set aside for workers. A few months later on Monday, September 7, 1891, the legal holiday was celebrated with the closure of factories, stores, and public offices allowing a great number of workers the freedom to march the streets of Indianapolis in a well-organized parade with their union sisters and brothers as sightseers crowding the sidewalks along the route. Three years later, legislation introduced by Senator James H. Kyle (Populist – South Dakota) establishing Labor Day as a national holiday passed the United States Congress and was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on June 28, 1894.
The history of trade unionism in Indianapolis began in the late 1840s with the founding of the Mechanics Mutual Protections, No. 7 which sought “to win increased wages, better educational opportunities, and provide security for families of members unable to work because of illness.” By 1890, with over 50 labor organizations in the city, it was said that “Indianapolis is a thorough trade union city.” More than half of these unions were assemblies of the Knights of Labor (K of L) representing the metal trades, communications, woodworking and furniture, printing, the construction trades, urban transport, the food industry, and personal services. Founded in 1869 as a secret organization of workers, the K of L became active in Indiana in the 1880s through the organizing efforts of Samuel L. Leffingwell (1830-1903). A printer by trade, Leffingwell had earlier been one of the “moving spirits” behind the founding of the International Typographical Union. Printers from fourteen cities met in Cincinnati in 1852 and the Indianapolis Typographical Union, No. 1 received its designation through a random drawing. Leffingwell was also instrumental in organizing the Indiana Federation of Trade and Labor Unions in 1885 to “improve relations among the state’s labor unions, and form new locals, lobby for improved factory and labor legislation, and obtain better wages.”
The central location of Indianapolis and the convergence of several railroads in the city made the Hoosier capital a convenient place for unions to have their national and international headquarters. The Journeymen Stonecutters’ Association of North America, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, and the International Typographical Union where among the early unions to have headquarters in Indianapolis. Probably the best-known unions to have selected Indianapolis for their headquarters were the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the United Mine Workers of America (UMW). As leaders of their respective union, legendary presidents Samuel Gompers (1850-1924) (AFL) and John L. Lewis (1880-1969) (UMW) were familiar figures on the streets of Indianapolis. Other unions with headquarters in Indianapolis were the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners, the Journeymen Barbers, Hairdressers & Cosmetologists International Union of America, the Teamsters Union, the Laundry Workers International Union, International Brotherhood of Bookbinders, the Bricklayers, Masons & Plasterers International Union of America, and the Bridge & Structural Iron Workers Union.
Over time the unions moved their national headquarters from Indianapolis to other cities, especially to Washington, DC, while local unions continued to grow in number with the expansion of the city’s commercial and manufacturing base. New locals representing the United Auto Workers (UAW), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), United Steelworkers of America (USW), American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and others formed to represent workers.
With plant closures and anti-union laws, the number of union members has declined in recent years. All workers owe unions a debt of gratitude for the 8-hour day, 5-day workweek, vacation days, health benefits, a living wage, and a safe workplace. Solidarity Forever!
