Today in Labor History--March 12

Striking textile workers face off against MA militiamen during Lawrence Strike

March 12, 1912 - The IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) won their textile strike in Lawrence, MA.The Lawrence strike was also known as the Bread and Roses Strike because the women were demanding not only a living wage, so they could feed their families, but a better quality of life, too). This IWW-led strike was the first known strike to implement the moving picket line, so as to avoid arrests for loitering. The strike was also unique in that the workers spoke 22 different languages and came from 24 different nationalities, prompting the IWW to give each language group a delegate on the strike committee and complete autonomy. (Sources: The Lucy Parsons Project; Libcom.org; Bread and Roses Centenial; Rense.com)

March 12, 1912 - Shingle workers went on strike in Raymond, WA. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 12, 1996 - Rioting erupted in Timika, Irian Jaya (Indonesia), disrupting Freeport mine operations.Over 1,000 Irianese rampaged through town hijacking cars and damaging buildings. Rioting against the Freeport mine spread to other neighboring towns, as well. (From the Daily Bleed)