On This Day In Labor History

July 19, 1848 - Women's Rights Convention opens in Seneca Falls, N.Y.  Delegates adopt a Declaration of Women's Rights and call for women's suffrage.

July 19, 1877 – In the midst of the Great Strike of 1877, Pittsburgh workers drove soldiers out of town. Trainmen took control of the railroads in Pittsburgh to protest wage cuts. Two days later, National Guard moved in, killing 20 people.

July 19, 1936 – The fascists, led by Franco, attempted to overthrow the elected government in Spain, triggering the Spanish Civil War.

July 19, 1940 - An amendment to the 1939 Hatch Act, a federal law whose main provision prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity, is amended to also cover state and local employees whose salaries include any federal funds.