Image
Members of the Philadelphia Municipal Workers Union protesting the layoff of 264 Men and wage cut of 31 percent, Philadelphia, PA, 1938.
Credit: Courtesy of Temple University, Urban Archives, Philadelphia, Pa.
In 1938, 3,000 Philadelphia municipal workers launched one of the first municipal workers strikes in American history, protesting wage cuts and layoffs. A collective bargaining agreement, reached after 8 days, led to the formation of AFSCME District Council 33.