Food and Travel Nation
with Elizabeth Dougherty
The TRUTH about Food and Travel
Broadcast Date: 9/2/23 In 1913, 25,000 striking workers from a Patterson, New Jersey silk factory met at the home of Pietro Botto. By 2023 standards, their demands don't seem too extreme... workers asked for a 40 hour work week, and the elimination of forced child labor. Their efforts to persuade management to make those changes failed and they went back to work. Over the next generation as the American labor movement grew, that home became a focal point for the struggles facing all American workers. Over time concessions were eventually made and labor demands were met. In the process, the partnership between ownership/management and American labor created the greatest, most productive workforce in the world.
That modest home at 83 Norwood Street in Haledon, NJ, now serves as the home of the American Labor Museum. Guests can stand on the Botto living room where striking workers made their modest demands, and look out the balcony where labor leaders addressed the gathered crowds.
On this Labor Day Weekend in 2023, Elizabeth takes us to the American Labor Museum with a message that with honest hard work, coupled with compromise, remains the best path toward reaching the American Dream. website: FoodAndTravelNation.com
email: Elizabeth@FoodAndTravelNation.com
