Today in Labor History—March 8

Political Satire by Windsor McCay, 1899 (from Wikipedia)

March 8, 1906 – U. S. occupation troops massacred an "unruly" band of hill Moros in the Philippines, mowing them down with a combination of artillery fire and infantry assaults. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 8, 1908 – Thousands of workers in the New York needle trades (mostly women) demonstrated and launched a strike for higher wages, shorter workday and an end to child labor. Their struggle became the basis for International Women's Day. (From the Daily Bleed)

1914 German International Women's Day Poster (from Wikipedia)

March 8, 1911 – The first International Women's Day was celebrated, in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany & the U.S. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 8, 1920 – In Sienne, Italy, fascists and police attacked union offices, which were defended by a hundred anarchist and socialist militants. Many workers were wounded in the confrontation, with Regoli Giuseppe dying from his wounds. A General Strike in followed. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 8, 1921 – The Bolsheviks began an air raid on the peaceful population of Kronstadt. The Provisional Revolutionary Committee of Kronstadt appealed by telegram to workers around the world to publicize their plight. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 8, 1926 - Members of the Fur and Leather Workers Union, mostly women, went on strike in New York. Despite beatings by police, the strikers fought on, winning a 10% raise and five-day work week. (From Workday Minnesota)

March 8, 1971 – 1,000 documents were stolen from the FBI office at Media, Pa., by the "Citizens Committee to Investigate the F.B.I." The documents were later distributed to newspapers revealing the existence of the F.B.I.'s criminal COINTELPRO program, harassing domestic political dissidents. (From the Daily Bleed)