Today in Labor History—May 8

Ricardo Flores Magon (by Alberto Beltran)

May 8, 1911 – Tijuana was captured by the anarchist Magonistas, with support by IWW members, giving them control of most of Baja California is now almost entirely in their hands. They encouraged the people to take collective possession of the lands, to create co-operatives and refuse the establishment of any new government. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 8, 1916 – The American Federation of Teachers was founded. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 8, 1925 - A. Philip Randolph and Milton P. Webster founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The Brotherhood was the very first African-American labor union to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a major U.S. corporation. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 8, 1936 –19 Japanese anarchists were imprisoned for "illegal activities.” The anarchist Tôkyô Print Workers' Union was crippled when nearly 100 of its members were arrested. Over the course of May, a further 300 anarchists were swept up in mass arrests. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 8, 1945 – Germany surrendered. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 8, 1962 – An estimated 9,000,000 Belgians participated in a ten-minute work stoppage to protest nuclear weapons. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 8, 1967 – A federal grand jury indicted Mohammed Ali for refusing to be inducted into the armed forces. He was convicted by an all-white jury on June 20th. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 8, 1979 – Police killed 23 people and wounded 70 outside the municipal cathedral of San Salvador, El Salvador. The victims were members of the Popular Revolutionary Bloc, a coalition of anti-government students, teachers, peasants & workers. (From the Daily Bleed)