Local 22, North Carolina Union, Honored 70 Years Later For Standing Up To Corporate Titan

Local 22, North Carolina Union, Honored 70 Years Later For Standing Up To Corporate Titan: One small groundswell in North Carolina's union history may have set the pace for sweeping change within the local civil rights movement.

A little-known integrated union in Winston-Salem, led mostly by African-American women, was recently honored with a special state highway marker for its efforts in challenging RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company to improve worker conditions in the 1940s, Journal Now reported.

The union, Local 22 of the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural and Allied Workers of America-CIO, fought for better conditions for black workers, who endured hot working conditions and long hours while breathing tobacco dust in an area separate from white employees, according to Journal Now.

By organizing strikes and campaigns, Local 22 won job security, wage increases and other benefits for workers, YesWeekly reported.