First US trade union formed

First US trade union formed

May 1, 2010 04:00:00 am

On May 1, 1794, the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) was organized in Philadelphia to negotiate wages for its members, becoming the first trade union in the United States.

Learn more about the history of the labor movement in the United States, and visit the website of the AFL-CIO, the federation of America’s labor unions, representing more than 13 million workers.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Supreme Court ordered dissolution of Standard Oil

On May 15, 1911, the US Supreme Court found Standard Oil in violation of the Sherman Act and ordered its dissolution.

Read Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. U.S.

Austrian State Treaty signed

On May 15, 1955, the Allied Powers of World War II and representatives of Austria signed the Österreichischer Staatsvertrag (Austrian State Treaty), which re-established Austria as an independent nation for the first time since it was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938. The treaty explicitly forbade any future attempts to unify with Germany.