Today in Labor History—June 20

Caricature of the 3rd estate carrying the 2nd (clergy) and 1st (nobility) estates on its back

June 20, 1791 – A French mob invaded the Tuileries and King Louis XVI tried (unsuccessfully) to flee the French Revolution. (From the Daily Bleed)

Albert Parsons

 June 20, 1848 – Albert Parson, Anarchist labor leader and Haymarket martyr, was born in Montgomery, Alabama. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1893 – Eugene Debs formed the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the earliest unions to organize by industry and regardless of race or ethnicity (see Knights of Labor and IWW) . Within a few months the union was leading an 18-day strike against the Great Northern Railroad, successfully forcing management to reverse three wage cuts, despite the fact that the nation was in the midst of a terrible depression. The victory set the union on a remarkable course in which it averaged 2,000 new members a day.. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1909 – Méxican rebel forces led by the anarchist Flores Magón brothers attacked Casas Grandes, Chih. (From the Daily Bleed)

Voltairine de Cleyre, 1891

 June 20, 1912 – Voltairine de Cleyre, one of the earliest feminist anarchists, died at the age 45, following a long illness. Two thousand supporters attended her funeral at Waldheim cemetery, where she was buried next to the Haymarket Martyrs. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1920 – Police shot 14 Wobblies (members of the Industrial Workers of the World) during a labor clash in Butte, Montana. In April, company guards at the Anaconda mine fired on striking Wobblies, killing one. Vigilantes or company goons lynched IWW organizer Frank Little in Butte in 1917. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1927 – A newspaper strike halted publication of "The Butte Miner," "Anaconda Standard," & "Butte Daily Post" (until July 4). (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1941 – The first United Auto Workers (UAW) contract ever was signed with Henry Ford, who recognizes the UAW. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1943 – Striking African American auto workers were attacked by the National Workers League, KKK and armed white workers at Detroit's Bell Isle amusement park. 34 people killed and 1,300 arrested in these race riots. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1982 – 2,500 protesters were arrested in two days of anti-nuclear demonstrations and  blockades of Lawrence Livermore labs, California. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—November 11

November 11, 1647 – The first American compulsory school law was passed in Massachusetts. (From the Daily Bleed)

Nat Turner Captured (public domain)

 November 11, 1831 – American slave rebellion leader Nat Turner was hanged, Jerusalem, Virginia. Three months prior, Turner had led a bloody slave revolt starting with the execution of his owner Joseph Travis and his family. Within the next 24 hours, Turner and an estimated 70 followers went on a rampage through Southampton County, Virginia, killing nearly 60 whites, while trying to encourage other slaves into revolt. Federal troops and militias were called in and ultimately suppressed the revolt, culminating with the hanging of over 100 African Americans, including many who did not participate in the revolt. (From the Daily Bleed)

Haymarket Martyrs, from the Lucy Parson Project

 November 11, 1887 - Four of the Haymarket Martyrs, including Albert Parsons and August Spies, were executed. Louis Lingg, who was also scheduled to be executed on this date, cheated the state by killing himself in his cell. There was no evidence linking any of the men to the Haymarket bombing that had occurred earlier in the year. (From Workday Minnesota)

November 11, 1918 - World War I ended, with 10 million dead, 21 million wounded, 7.5 million prisoners and missing in action, and another 22 million killed by the influenza pandemic that was exacerbated by the war. Originally celebrated as Armistice Day, November 11 is now known as Veterans Day. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

November 11, 1919 - Armed "patriots" from the American Legion attacked and destroyed the IWW labor hall in Centralia, Washington, killing five. They then kidnapped, tortured, castrated and lynched Wesley Everest, a WWI veteran and IWW organizer.  (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

November 11, 1978 – Gay San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by ex-supervisor Dan White.. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—July 21

July 21, 1877 – 30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great Upheaval wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd, advocating the use of the ballot to obtain "state control of the means of production," and urged workers to join the workingmen's party. Parsons was later abducted by armed men who took him to the police where he was interrogated and informed that he had caused the city great trouble. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 21, 1887 – 20 striking railroad workers were killed by state troopers in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 21, 1964 – Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) blueberry pickers went on strike near Grand Junction, Michigan. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 20

Caricature of the 3rd estate carrying the 2nd (clergy) and 1st (nobility) estates on its back

June 20, 1791 – A French mob invaded the Tuileries and King Louis XVI tried (unsuccessfully) to flee the French Revolution. (From the Daily Bleed)

Albert Parsons

 June 20, 1848 – Albert Parson, Anarchist labor leader and Haymarket martyr, was born in Montgomery, Alabama. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1893 – Eugene Debs formed the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the earliest unions to organize by industry and regardless of race or ethnicity (see Knights of Labor and IWW) . Within a few months the union was leading an 18-day strike against the Great Northern Railroad, successfully forcing management to reverse three wage cuts, despite the fact that the nation was in the midst of a terrible depression. The victory set the union on a remarkable course in which it averaged 2,000 new members a day.. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1909 – Méxican rebel forces led by the anarchist Flores Magón brothers attacked Casas Grandes, Chih. (From the Daily Bleed)

Voltairine de Cleyre, 1891

 June 20, 1912 – Voltairine de Cleyre, one of the earliest feminist anarchists, died at the age 45, following a long illness. Two thousand supporters attended her funeral at Waldheim cemetery, where she was buried next to the Haymarket Martyrs. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1920 – Police shot 14 Wobblies (members of the Industrial Workers of the World) during a labor clash in Butte, Montana. In April, company guards at the Anaconda mine fired on striking Wobblies, killing one. Vigilantes or company goons lynched IWW organizer Frank Little in Butte in 1917. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1927 – A newspaper strike halted publication of "The Butte Miner," "Anaconda Standard," & "Butte Daily Post" (until July 4). (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1941 – The first United Auto Workers (UAW) contract ever was signed with Henry Ford, who recognizes the UAW. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1943 – Striking African American auto workers were attacked by the National Workers League, KKK and armed white workers at Detroit's Bell Isle amusement park. 34 people killed and 1,300 arrested in these race riots. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1982 – 2,500 protesters were arrested in two days of anti-nuclear demonstrations and  blockades of Lawrence Livermore labs, California. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—November 11

November 11, 1647 – The first American compulsory school law was passed in Massachusetts. (From the Daily Bleed)

Nat Turner Captured (public domain)

 November 11, 1831 – American slave rebellion leader Nat Turner was hanged, Jerusalem, Virginia. Three months prior, Turner had led a bloody slave revolt starting with the execution of his owner Joseph Travis and his family. Within the next 24 hours, Turner and an estimated 70 followers went on a rampage through Southampton County, Virginia, killing nearly 60 whites, while trying to encourage other slaves into revolt. Federal troops and militias were called in and ultimately suppressed the revolt, culminating with the hanging of over 100 African Americans, including many who did not participate in the revolt. (From the Daily Bleed)

Haymarket Martyrs, from the Lucy Parson Project

 November 11, 1887 - Four of the Haymarket Martyrs, including Albert Parsons and August Spies, were executed. Louis Lingg, who was also scheduled to be executed on this date, cheated the state by killing himself in his cell. There was no evidence linking any of the men to the Haymarket bombing that had occurred earlier in the year. (From Workday Minnesota)

November 11, 1918 - World War I ended, with 10 million dead, 21 million wounded, 7.5 million prisoners and missing in action, and another 22 million killed by the influenza pandemic that was exacerbated by the war. Originally celebrated as Armistice Day, November 11 is now known as Veterans Day. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

November 11, 1919 - Armed "patriots" from the American Legion attacked and destroyed the IWW labor hall in Centralia, Washington, killing five. They then kidnapped, tortured, castrated and lynched Wesley Everest, a WWI veteran and IWW organizer.  (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

November 11, 1978 – Gay San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by ex-supervisor Dan White.. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—July 21

July 21, 1877 – 30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great Upheaval wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd, advocating the use of the ballot to obtain "state control of the means of production," and urged workers to join the workingmen's party. Parsons was later abducted by armed men who took him to the police where he was interrogated and informed that he had caused the city great trouble. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 21, 1887 – 20 striking railroad workers were killed by state troopers in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 21, 1964 – Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) blueberry pickers went on strike near Grand Junction, Michigan. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—July 4

July 4, 1840 – The anti-rent association of Berne in the Hudson Valley issued its Declaration of Independence, which initiated the Anti-Rent War, which lasted until August 1845. Also known as the Helderberg War, the anti-rent war was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York against the patroons, who acted as feudal lords with the right to make laws. The first meeting of the Anti-Rent tenant farmers was held in Berne, New York on July 4, 1839. Leaders of the revolt were tried for riot, conspiracy and robbery in 1845. The first trial resulted in no convictions. A re-trial in September 1845 saw fist-fight between the attorneys who were sentenced to solitary confinement for 24 hours. One defendant, Smith A. Boughton, was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was pardoned by the pro-Anti-Renter John Young. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

Albert Parsons, 1889

July 4, 1876 – Albert Parsons, who was later wrongly executed as one of the Haymarket martyrs, joined the Knights of Labor on this date. He later became the president of the Trades Assembly of Chicago, ran for County Clerk, and became the first workingman nominated by workingmen to run for President of the United States. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 4, 1883 – Rube Goldberg, who worked hard to make simple things outrageously difficult, was born. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 4, 1890 – First issue of the Yiddish "Freie Arbeiter Stimme" (Free Voice of Labor) was published in New York. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 4, 1938 – In a show of support for independence and freedom, The American Federation of Musician's Board of Delegates adopted a resolution to fight the "communist menace" within the US Labor movement. In particular, they were concerned about "Certain communistic influences within [San Francisco's] Local Six have been," as well as locals inNew York, Philadelphia, Detroit and Los Angeles." (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 20

Caricature of the 3rd estate carrying the 2nd (clergy) and 1st (nobility) estates on its back

June 20, 1791 – A French mob invaded the Tuileries and King Louis XVI tried (unsuccessfully) to flee the French Revolution. (From the Daily Bleed)

Albert Parsons

 June 20, 1848 – Albert Parson, Anarchist labor leader and Haymarket martyr, was born in Montgomery, Alabama. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1893 – Eugene Debs formed the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the earliest unions to organize by industry and regardless of race or ethnicity (see Knights of Labor and IWW) . Within a few months the union was leading an 18-day strike against the Great Northern Railroad, successfully forcing management to reverse three wage cuts, despite the fact that the nation was in the midst of a terrible depression. The victory set the union on a remarkable course in which it averaged 2,000 new members a day.. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1909 – Méxican rebel forces led by the anarchist Flores Magón brothers attacked Casas Grandes, Chih. (From the Daily Bleed)

Voltairine de Cleyre, 1891

 June 20, 1912 – Voltairine de Cleyre, one of the earliest feminist anarchists, died at the age 45, following a long illness. Two thousand supporters attended her funeral at Waldheim cemetery, where she was buried next to the Haymarket Martyrs. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1920 – Police shot 14 Wobblies (members of the Industrial Workers of the World) during a labor clash in Butte, Montana. In April, company guards at the Anaconda mine fired on striking Wobblies, killing one. Vigilantes or company goons lynched IWW organizer Frank Little in Butte in 1917. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1927 – A newspaper strike halted publication of "The Butte Miner," "Anaconda Standard," & "Butte Daily Post" (until July 4). (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1941 – The first United Auto Workers (UAW) contract ever was signed with Henry Ford, who recognizes the UAW. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1943 – Striking African American auto workers were attacked by the National Workers League, KKK and armed white workers at Detroit's Bell Isle amusement park. 34 people killed and 1,300 arrested in these race riots. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 20, 1982 – 2,500 protesters were arrested in two days of anti-nuclear demonstrations and  blockades of Lawrence Livermore labs, California. (From the Daily Bleed)