Today we celebrate the history of America’s labor movement, all the workers and unions that built our country.

Photo from The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives at Cornell University ILR School, reposted.

From a fellow CCSM Member:

Ted Kheel, the man for whom The Kheel Center was named, was a great labor lawyer and arbitrator  in New York in the 60's and 70's. 

As a radio reporter I covered "Teddy", as he was called, when he mediated major public employee union strikes---sanitation men, transit workers, firemen, etc.

Those labor talks were marathon affairs requiring long stakeouts by the press. We spent many hours at the Americana (now the Sheraton) Hotel on 7th Avenue waiting for some break in the talks. 

The transit workers' contract used to run out on New Years Eve. The Sheraton set the press up in one of their ballrooms and provided great free food and booze. 

By the time midnight rolled around we were feeling no pain---so we didn't care what the outcome was. But it was usually a deal. Which meant that, in the early hours of New Years Day I could go on the air and report that everything would be OK. Then I grabbed a few hours of sleep. 

Teddy's outfit during those all night talks: pajamas, a bathrobe and slippers. He would "commute" between management and union hotel rooms carrying the latest offers back and forth---and usually he finally got a deal. A very sharp guy. 

Those were the fun days. 

His daughter, Ellen, was a Cornellian too.  

Best,

Mike Eisgrau '62