They Dared To Dream

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International President Gordon Freeman picked up on the optimism of President Kennedy’s speeches and continued the theme of technological advancement when he reported on the Brotherhood’s 27th International Convention in Montreal, Canada, in 1962. He wrote in the October ‘62 Electrical Workers’ Journal editorial, “The electrical industry is moving forward in the ‘space age’ of today. While [the industry] is mature in record of achievement, it is as new as tomorrow.”

Even with all the confidence which existed in the solutions “tomorrow” promised, the problems facing America in the 1960s loomed large. Inequity between rich and poor, between black and white, led to riots in Newark, New Jersey; the Watts section of Los Angeles; in Detroit; and Washing ton, D.C. Poverty in the rural South and in Appalachia—allowed to continue for years—was reaching critical levels. And many of the rights we take for granted today, such as being allowed to vote and access to education, were not being extended to large numbers of Americans.

Local 6, San Francisco, members work on a street light near the Golden Gate Bridge in 1964.

In the fight for civil rights, the world found a champion in Martin Luther King Jr. His fiery, and deeply moving speeches touched most everyone. He preached nonviolence, determination, patience. He moved a generation of blacks and whites alike. And shortly after he delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., one of the most stirring speeches in American history, Congress acted. With the lull support of the AFL-CIO, on June 29, 1964. Congress passed an omnibus civil-rights package banning racial discrimination just about everywhere.

The problem of the ‘60s disenchanted many of North America’s youth. Angry at what they called “The System,” many young people built a counter-culture world based on psychedelic drugs and new kinds of music. They looked for freedom to express themselves and associated with the growing movements to end the war in Vietnam and clean up the environment around the globe.

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1960-1970 To The Moon

Local 1, St. Louis, moved into its new home in 1960.

1962 Rand Corporation and IBM develop robotics, forever changing the way work is done in many manufacturing facilities. The United States is thrown into a national emergency during the Cuban Missile Crisis when President Kennedy demanded that the Soviet Union disassemble missiles it had installed in Cuba. Kennedy orders a blockade of Cuba and aerial surveillance before Soviets tear apart the missile silos. James Meredith becomes the first black to gain admittance to the University of Mississippi. The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is signed. Manpower Development and Training Act passes Congress with the intent being to "deal with the problems of unemployment resulting from automation and technological changes and other types of persistent unemployment." Also, federal employees win right to collective bargaining.

1963 Separation of church and state strengthened with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling disallowing the Bible to be required reading in public schools. President Kennedy is assassinated. Martin Luther King Jr. leads march on Washington, D.C.; and civil-rights demonstrations unfold in Birmingham, Alabama. U.S. Supreme Court ruling requires free legal counsel for the poor. Equal Pay Act for Women passes Congress. The Canadian National Union of Public Service Employees and the National Union of Public Employees merge to form the Canadian Union of Public employees. The first pension legislation passes the Canadian Parliament.

They Dared To Dream

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