Today in Labor History Oct 26, 1,000 worker deaths – mostly Irish immigrants & more

[Omaha Steve]

October 26

After eight years and at least 1,000 worker deaths – mostly Irish immigrants – the 350-mile Erie Canal opens, linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Father John Raho wrote to his bishop that "so many die that there is hardly any time to give Extreme Unction to everybody. We run night and day to assist the sick" - 1825

And this: October 26, 1825 - After eight years and a cost of $7 million, the Erie Canal opened, linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The 350-mile canal, between Lake Erie and the Hudson River at Albany, New York, aided rapid settlement of the Midwest.

October 26, 1949 - President Harry Truman raised the federal minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents.

October 26, 2001 - President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law. While proponents said it was needed to fight terrorism, many Americans worried that it would undermine their civil liberties by giving the executive branch unchecked power to invade their private lives.

Labor history found here: http://www.unionist.com/today-in-labor-history & here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_10_26_2010

[Celtic Raven]

1. K&R nt