Today in Labor History Aug 8 Cesar Chavez is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

[Omaha Steve]

August 8

Delegates to the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly elect 35-year-old Charles James, leader of the Boot and Shoe Workers local union, as their president. He was the first African-American elected to that leadership post in St. Paul, many believe the first in the nation - 1902

And this: August 8, 1902 - About 100 men and women -- delegates to the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly -- met in downtown St. Paul for the semi-monthly meeting of the 20-year-old labor organization. They elected 35-year-old Charles James, a skilled leather cutter and a leader of the Boot and Shoe Workers Union, as Assembly president. He was the first African-American elected to that leadership post in St. Paul, perhaps the first in the nation.

Cripple Creek, Colo. miners strike begins - 1903

Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen of North America merge with Retail Clerks International Union to become United Food & Commercial Workers - 1979

Cesar Chavez is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, becoming the first Mexican-American ever to receive the honor - 1994

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_08_08_2010