Derry Township near Hershey in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Chocolate Workers' Sit-Down Strike

Photographed by William Pfingsten, April 12, 2008

1. Chocolate Workers' Sit-Down Strike Marker

Inscription. Hershey's Chocolate Workers Local 1 (CIO) responded to a labor-management impasse on April 2, 1937 by initiating the first sit-down strike in Pennsylvania and in the confectionery industry. The strike was ended by strike-breaking violence and government mediation. The union lost two subsequent representative elections. In 1939 workers affiliated with the Bakery & Confectionery Workers Local 464 (AFL).

Erected 2005 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 2, 1937.

Location. 40° 17.084′ N, 76° 38.958′ W. Marker is near Hershey, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Derry Township. It is at the intersection of Cocoa Avenue and Caracas Ave., on the right when traveling south on Cocoa Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 103 Cocoa Ave, Hershey PA 17033, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country,

in the Susquehanna Valley,

and in Greater Harrisburg.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Court of Honor (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Milton S. Hershey (about 500 feet away); Hershey (about 700 feet away);

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Partnering for Barn Owls (approx. 0.2 miles away); River Otter (approx. 0.2 miles away); Burrowing Owl (approx. ¼ mile away); Thick-Billed Parrot (approx. ¼ mile away); American Marten (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hershey.

Also see . . .
1. Chocolate Workers' Sit-Down Strike - Behind the Marker. ExplorePAHistory.com (Submitted on July 19, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

2. MarkerQuest - Chocolate Workers' Sit-Down Strike. (Submitted on May 21, 2026, by Laura Klotz of Northampton, Pennsylvania.)

Chocolate Workers Local 464 AFL-CIO image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, April 12, 2008

2. Chocolate Workers Local 464 AFL-CIO

Marker is near the union hall parking lot.

Hershey Theater Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, April 12, 2008

3. Hershey Theater Building

This building is across the street from the marker. It is one of many buildings provided to the workers by Milton Hershey.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,407 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 15, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.