April 12, 1900 – Birth of Florence Reece, an activist in the Harlan County, Kentucky, coal strikes, and author of “Which Side Are You On?” The song was written in 1931 during a UMW strike in which sheriff Blair led a gang of thugs in a rampage of beating & murdering union leaders. Florence wrote the song on an old wall calendar while her home was being ransacked by Blair’s goons. (From the Daily Bleed and Workday Minnesota).
April 12, 1935 – 150,000 college students protested across the U.S. in the first nationwide student strike against war. Between 1936, and 1939, the movement mobilized at least 500,000 college students (almost 50% of all American college students at the time) in annual one-hour strikes against war. (From the Daily Bleed).
April 12, 1937 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Wagner Act (also known as the National Labor Relations Act) which created the structure for collective bargaining and rules for strikes and job actions. (From Workday Minnesota)