US Labor History
1970-1979
1970
- Postal strike is first nationwide strike of public employees
- Hawaii becomes the first state to allow local and state government employees the right to strike
- Congress passes the Occupational Safety and Health act
- General Motors Strike
- Postal Workers' Strike , President Nixon declares a national emergency and orders 30,000 troops to New York City to break the first nationwide postal strike
- Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act takes effect after passing Congress December 30, 1969
1971
- New York City Police Strike
1972
- President Richard M. Nixon is reelected
- Farah Clothing Workers' Strike and Boycott
- Lordstown, Ohio, Auto Workers' Strike
- Philadelphia Teachers' Strike begins
- Quebec workers general strike
1973
- United Farm Workers, led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, is chartered by the AFL-CIO
1974
- Coalition of Labor Union Women is founded (CLUW)
- Congress passes the Employment Retirement Income Security Act regulating all private pension plans
- Baltimore Police Strike
- Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers union activist Karen Silkwood is killed during investigation of Kerr-McGee nuclear plant in Oklahoma
1975
- First legal statewide public employees' strike in nation's history occurs in Pennsylvania
- Congress defeats a union-sponsored attempt to reform the nation's basic labor law
- Washington Post Pressmen's Strike begins
1976
- President Jimmy Carter is elected
- Congress defeats a union-sponsored attempt to have a law enacted that would improve the ability of construction unions to organize and carry out effective strikes
- More than 1 million Canadian workers demonstrate against wage controls
1977
- Bituminous Coal Strike begins
- Coors Beer Strike and Boycott begins
- J.P. Stevens Boycott begins
- Willmar, Minnesota, Bank Workers' Strike
1978
- Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Newspaper Strike begins
1979
- Lane Kirkland becomes president of the AFL-CIO
1979
- Independent Truckers' Strike
