Significant dates in labour history.

• August 01 - The Jiu Valley miners' strike of 1977 began in Romania; the 1942–44 musicians' strike began in the U.S.; Mary Harris "Mother" Jones was born; the United Firefighters Union of Australia was founded
• August 02 - Robert Zieger was born; the Contrat nouvelle embauche entered into force in France in 2005
• August 03 - The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization strike began in the U.S.
• August 04 - Joseph Paul-Boncour was born; the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers was formed
• August 05 - The Lupeni Strike of 1929 occurred in Romania; the National Labor Board was created; Devan Nair was born
• August 06 - Jackie Presser was born
• August 07 - Frank Fitzsimmons was born
• August 08 - David McDonald died; the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America was formed; Arthur Goldberg was born
• August 09 - The California School Employees Association was founded; Raymond McKay died; Harry Davenport died; Thomas E. Scanlon died; the 1981 Major League Baseball strike ended in the U.S. and Canada; John Willcock was born
• August 10 - The U.S. Steel recognition strike of 1901 began; Iorwith Wilbur Abel died; Dorothy Jacobs Bellanca was born
• August 11 - The International Longshore and Warehouse Union was founded; Iorwith Wilbur Abel was born; Rose Schneiderman died; Edwin D. Hill was born
• August 12 - The Buffalo switchmen's strike of 1892 began; the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike began in the U.S. and Canada; the National War Labor Board was abolished in 1919; the Chorus Equity Association was founded; the Unión General de Trabajadores was founded
• August 13 - Carlos Ortega escaped from prison in Venezuela and disappeared
• August 14 - Solidarity struck for the first time; Joseph Curran died; Lane Kirkland died; Selig Perlman died; N. M. Perera died
• August 15 - The 1890 Australian maritime dispute began; Herbert Hill died; lockout of the Canadian Media Guild began in 2005 in Canada; Anna Walentynowicz was born
• August 16 - George Meany was born; Dorothy Jacobs Bellanca died
• August 18 - The 1989 Australian pilots' strike began; the American Federation of Government Employees was founded; Alberto Hurtado died
• August 19 - The Maritime Trades Department of the AFL–CIO was founded; Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association launched a strike against Northwest Airlines
• August 22 - The United Farm Workers was founded; the Association of Flight Attendants was founded
• August 23 - The Gurindji strike began in 1966 in Australia; the Salad Bowl strike began in the U.S.
• August 24 - Ray Stevenson died
• August 25 - The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was founded; the Battle of Blair Mountain began in 1921 in the U.S.; the 2006 Progressive Enterprises dispute began in New Zealand; the Buffalo switchmen's strike ended in the U.S.; Charles Millard was born; Miron Cozma was born
• August 26 - The Dublin Lock-out began in 1913
• August 27 - Juan Lechín Oquendo died
• August 28 - The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom occurred; the film Matewan was released; the Central Única dos Trabalhadores was founded
• August 29 - The British police strikes in 1918 and 1919 began; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled picketing is not a breach of the peace in Cox v. Louisiana; Emmanuel Christopher Loblack was born
• August 31 - The Gdańsk Agreement was signed, ending the first wave of strikes by Solidarity