Workers Memorial Day takes place annually around the world on April 28, an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured, or made unwell by their work. “Big Steve” Sutton was one of those workers, killed on July 18, 1932 near the Marseilles dam on the Illinois River in Marseilles, Illinois. This Thursday, on Workers Memorial Day, a historical marker for “Big Steve” and the 21 other workers injured on that day, will be dedicated in Marseilles. On today’s show, we’ll find out who “Big Steve” was, and why we remember his death and the struggles of his fellow workers all these years later. Our guide is Michael Matejka, a labor historian and journalist, who spoke with co-hosts Chris Garlock and Ed Smith on the Your Rights At Work radio show on WPFW 89.3FM last week. Find out more from the Illinois Labor History Society; music by Tom Morello (Night Falls).   

Also on today’s show, a double shot of Labor History in 2:00: The California Spinach Riot (1937) and The Deadly Cost of Fashion (2013).

Questions, comments or suggestions welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at [email protected]

Labor History Today is produced by Union City Radio and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Hosted and produced by Chris Garlock. 

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