The National Labor Union is founded, the first in the nation; it calls for a national eight-hour work day. William Harding, President of the Coachmakers International Union, joins with William Sylvis (1828-1869), founder of the Iron Molders Union and other labor leaders to meet for four days in Baltimore, recommending the creation of the National Labor Party.
In 1872 the Party nominates a U.S. Supreme Court Justice for president but receives little support. Reform moves slowly but labor unions grow into a formidable national force. The Labor Standards Act of 1938 finally provides a 40 cent-an-hour minimum wage, a 40-hour maximum workweek and a minimum working age of 16, among other reforms.
