Labor Day History Quiz
Summary
Kusha Navadar hosts a Labor Day quiz with historian Kenneth C. Davis, testing callers on topics like Grover Cleveland’s role in establishing the holiday, Abraham Lincoln’s views on labor, and the history of minimum wage. The segment highlights the violent origins of labor organizing, the invention of the water cooler, and the lack of federal paid vacation laws. Winners receive Brian Lehrer Show hats while discussing the decline of union membership and current wage standards.
Topics discussed
Intro: Labor Day quiz rules and prizes
Grover Cleveland and the Pullman Strike
Abraham Lincoln on labor vs. capital
First Labor Day parade in New York
History of the water cooler
Federal minimum wage origins and current rate
Paid vacations are not federal law
Union membership statistics and trends
Outro and show credits
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