Sunday, April 1, 2012

Today in Labor History—April 1


April 1, 1649 – Diggers occupied St. George's Hill, near Cobham, Surrey, England, seizing land to hold in common and to plant. Other Digger communities followed in Northants, Bucks, Kent, Herts, Middx, Leics, Beds, Glos & Notts.

April 1, 1882 – Coal Heavers strike against the Suez Canal Company in Port Said.

April 1, 1920 – T-Bone Slim's The Popular Wobbly published in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) "One Big Union Monthly".

April 1, 1924 – West Virginia miners walked out at the Coal River Colliery Company (CRC). The strike was unusual because CRC was an investment venture of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), with stock owned by members of the Brotherhood. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) called the strike because the company refused to pay the current union wage scale.

April 1, 1932 – 500 hungry school children in tattered clothes marched through Chicago's downtown section to the Board of Education offices to demand that the school system provide them with food.

April 1, 1946 – The 400,000-strong mine workers strike was put down by the U.S. military on orders of President Truman.

April 1, 1961 – Local 101 began a 6-week strike against Brooklyn Union Gas Company.

April 1, 1963 – The longest newspaper strike in U.S. history ended on this date. The nine major papers in New York City ceased publication over 100 days ago.
(From the Daily Bleed)

No comments:

Post a Comment