Significant dates in labour history.
- January 01 - The 1966 New York City transit strike began; the United Transportation Union was founded; the Swedish Trade Union Confederation was founded; Union Network International was founded; the Workplace Relations Act 1996 entered into force in Australia
- January 02 - The Sago Mine disaster occurred in the 2006 in the U.S.
- January 03 - The 1929 Australian timber workers' strike began; Guy Ryder was born
- January 04 - The St. John's University strike of 1966–67 began in the U.S.; the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union merged in 1999 with the United Paperworkers International Union to form the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union
- January 05 - The 1891 Australian shearers' strike began; the 1919 Spartacist uprising began in Berlin
- January 07 - Edward T. Hanley died; A. P. T. James died
- January 08 - SEIU Local 1.on was founded
- January 09 - Maurice Hutcheson died; Sol Chick Chaikin was born
- January 11 - The 1912 Lawrence textile strike began in the U.S.; Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union merged with the United Steelworkers; Bogdan Borusewicz was born
- January 12 - Cornelius Shea died
- January 14 - The Reesor Siding strike of 1963 began in Canada; Joseph Glimco was born
- January 15 - Michael Sommer was born; the song "Solidarity Forever" is written; the Steel strike of 1959 ends in the U.S.
- January 16 - Dutta Samant was murdered; Leonard Woodcock died; Daniel John O'Donoghue died
- January 17 - Pablo Manlapit was born
- January 18 - The U.S. Supreme Court decided Moyer v. Peabody in 1909; Mary Kenney O'Sullivan died; the 1912 Brisbane general strike began in Australia; the Dublin Lock-out ended in 1914; Paul Keating was born; the Great Bombay textile strike began
- January 19 - Thomas Kennedy died; Morris Kight died; Bill Andersen died; Annie Buller died
- January 20 - The Tunisian General Labour Union was founded; trade unions launched the 2005 civil unrest in Belize; Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch was born; Bruce Nissen was born
- January 21 - Edward T. Hanley was born; Bill Andersen was born; J. H. Thomas died; Nicholas Pollard Sr. died
- January 22 - The United Mine Workers was founded; Terence V. Powderly was born; Andrew Furuseth died; Chea Vichea was murdered; Gyula Peidl died; Ong Teng Cheong died
- January 23 - David Sullivan died; Nikolaus Gross died
- January 24 - The Wapping dispute began in 1986 in the U.K.; Emil Rieve died; the 1977 Massacre of Atocha occurred in Spain; Henri Krasucki died; Herbert Hill was born; the Supreme Court of Canada issued its reasoning in R.W.D.S.U., Local 558 v. Pepsi-Cola Canada Beverages (West) Ltd.; the Alliance for Labor Action was dissolved
- January 25 - The Sheet Metal Workers' International Association was founded; Matthew Woll was born; Chummy Fleming died
- January 26 - Bernard Kleiman was born
- January 27 - Samuel Gompers was born; the U.S. Supreme Court decided Lechmere, Inc. v. NLRB; Ben Tillett died; the U.S. Supreme Court decided Adair v. United States; Frank Tudor was born
- January 28 - Mike Quill died; Harry Lundeberg died; Mike Moore was born; James Scullin died
- January 29 - The Timex strike began in 1993 in Scotland; Anna LoPizzo died; John M. Dunn died
- January 30 - Edward Heitmann died
- January 31 - The 1919 Battle of George Square occurred in Scotland; New Orleans fired all members of the United Teachers of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; Bob Semple died