September 12, 2007
Why We Blog
As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Workers Comp Insider (September 17, 2003), it's a good time to step back and ask a fundamental question: Why are we doing this? Four years ago Tom, Julie and I observed that there were a lot of bloggers tackling a lot of issues, but they mostly involved isolated individuals pursuing a particular...September 5, 2007
Insurance ephemera at the Museum of Insurance
Many of us are familiar with the Insurance Library, a Boston area institution that has been an important insurance resource for consumers and professionals alike for more than a century. But did you know there was such a thing as the online Museum of Insurance? We certainly didn't, but we chanced upon it in one of our recent Google...May 8, 2007
Celebrating American workers
The website for National Archives is a national treasure. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the Government agency that preserves and maintains important historical materials and makes them available for research or public access. Many records have been digitized and the site has an extensive array of exhibits that range from the educational to the entertaining. One that...March 28, 2007
A bad way to make a living
Every now and then ,we come across a historical site that catches our interest, either because it highlights an industry, a telling event, or some other matter related to work, insurance, or the matters that we tend to discuss here at Workers Comp Insider. Mining's Legacy - a Scar on Kansas is just such a site. Hosted by the...December 18, 2006
California: There’s Gold In Them Thar Hills!
It was George Santayana, the Spanish born American philosopher, poet and humorist, who wrote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” With that in mind, I’d like to suggest how the history of California’s pioneers and prospectors is an allegory of its workers’ compensation ups and downs over the last 20 years. From 1840 to...September 1, 2006
Remembering the "labor" in Labor Day
In all the long weekend holiday plans and back-to-school activities, the true meaning and the origin of Labor Day can be lost in the shuffle. The holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September "... is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute...March 8, 2006
The Wobblies Versus Starbucks, revisited: Chalk One Up for the Union
The U.S. Labor Relations Board issued a finding in favor of the IWW ("Wobblies), in their ongoing effort to organize Starbuck baristas (employees). No, this does not mean that Starbucks has been unionized, or even that an election will take place any time soon. In agreeing to the finding, Starbucks does not admit any fault. However, they have agreed to...November 7, 2005
November: a bloody month in labor history
If you're a history buff, then this is a fitting month to root around in the Web's labor archives since so many seminal events occurred in November. Plus, it just so happens that 2005 marks the 100 year anniversary of the Industrial Workers of the World, more commonly known as "the Wobblies." My colleague Jon recently wrote a post about...June 6, 2005
Starbucks vs. IWW: 21st Century Java meets Turn of the Century Union
When I read that the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) was trying to organize workers at a Manhattan Starbucks, I thought for a moment that I was stuck in a time machine. The IWW still exists? Indeed, the "wobblies" are still with us. They have a website, resplendent in red and full of interesting information. This year marks the...April 2, 2005
The worst jobs in history
Some point to the medieval guilds as the origin of workers comp; others see the emergence of workers comp as a response to the industrial revolution when dangerous factory jobs grew more prevalent. But the truth is, hard working laborers have been battling dangerous and unpleasant work conditions from time immemorial. The Worst Jobs in History is a journey through...March 17, 2005
The Myth of the Molly Maguires
I thought it might be an interesting commemoration of my Irish heritage to do a post about work conditions that my forebears faced as they immigrated to U.S. shores after the potato famine. Many were involved in the hard labor of building out the impressive canals, dams, and public works projects of the era. But as can easily happen in...February 27, 2005
Working Girls of Boston: Women at work in the 1880s
If you were one of 20,000 women employed in a non-domestic job in Boston in the 1880s, you probably worked a 10-hour day, six days a week and earned $6.03 for your weekly labors. You didn't have very much time off. If you were among the lucky one in five working women who had any vacation time at all, you...February 10, 2005
The Original "No Exit" : The Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire
In the rush of events, we may succomb to the notion that we are constantly seeing things for the first time. In two previous blogs, we mentioned employers who locked exits to prevent theft after hours, leaving cleaning and maintenance crews vulnerable to disaster. Well, the most famous incident of locked exits occurred on March 25, 1911: the Triangle Shirt...August 11, 2004
The history of workers compensation
I stumbled on an interesting essay at the Florida Department of Financial Services' site...it's an overview of the historical evolution of workers compensation from ancient times to the present, one of the best treatments I've seen on the topic. In addition to exploring the European roots, it presents an overview of the system's development throughout the United States, with particular...June 8, 2004
Lost Labor: Images of Vanished American Workers 1900-1980
For more than 20 years, visual artist Raymon Elozua has been assembling a vast collection of company histories, pamphlets, and technical brochures that document America's industrial history. This site features 155 photos from that collection - images of factories, machinery, and laborers hard at work. Many of the jobs depicted have faded into history. The artist grew up in the...April 27, 2004
Workers' Memorial Day - April 28, 2004
April 28 is Workers Memorial Day - "Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living" The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada. Every year, people in hundreds of communities and at worksites recognize...February 23, 2004
