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The 34^th Annual Pennsylvania Labor History Society Awards Dinner and Conference will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 26-27, 2008. This annual event honors the memories of Margaret Harris aka Mother Jones – workers’ rights advocate, John Brennan – labor educator, and William Sylvis, union organizer, through awards issued to deserving people who exemplify the persona of each of these great individuals in labor history. Each year, the Society puts forth a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission state historical marker proposal. This year’s proposal is to commemorate the First Public Sector Strike. In 1938, 2,000 members of Street Cleaning Local 427 American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees conducted the first public sector strike in Pennsylvania and against a major city government (Philadelphia).

Last year’s awardees were labor singers Anne Feeney and Mike Stout, the Mother Jones’ Award; labor artists Gary Huck and Bill Yund, the John Brennan Award; and United Steelworkers Jane Becker, Marie Malagreca, and Oliver Montgomery, the William Sylvis Award. The marker dedication commemorated the Cotton Mill Strikers of the 1840s, which limited working hours and prevented child labor. During the dinner event, the late Crystal Eastman, founding mother of the current OSHA laws, was honored for her work in the area of workplace safety. To learn more about Crystal Eastman click here.