June 8, 1809 - Thomas Paine died in New York City. The author of the essay Common Sense had inspired working people around the world in their drives for independence. To read Common Sense, go to http://www.ushistory.org/Paine/commonsense/index.htm

June 8, 1929 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an address before the N.Y. Women’s Trade Union League, said, “Employers and employees alike have learned that in union there is strength, that a coordination of individual effort means an elimination of waste, a bettering of living conditions, and is, in fact, the father of prosperity.” At the time, Roosevelt was governor of New York. In 1932, he was elected president and re-elected three more times.

June 8, 1996 - The Labor Party founding convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the most recent effort by workers to form their own political movement. Most countries, other than the United States, have large and active labor political parties. Read more about the Labor Party at http://www.thelaborparty.org/a_index.html