Today in Labor History—March 7

Lynn Shoemakers Strike, 1860 (Image from libcom)

March 7, 1860 – 6,000 shoemakers were joined by 20,000 other New England workers in a mass strike in Lynn, Massachusetts. Also known as the great New England shoemakers strike, thousands of women marched through a blizzard carrying signs saying: "American Ladies Will Not Be Slaves." Within a month, shoe manufacturers offered higher wages to bring strikers back to the factories, but continued to refuse to recognize a union. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1868 - The Knights of St. Crispin and the Daughters of St. Crispin organized to win regulation of the use of machinery in the shoe industry, which threatened handcrafted work. (From Workday Minnesota)

Bolshevik Bombs Confiscated During the 1905 Peasant Uprising

 March 7, 1905 – A Russian peasant rebellion began, during which the peasants burned many castles of the nobility. (From the Daily Bleed)

Red Army Attacking Kronstadt

 March 7, 1921 – Select forces of the Red Army (commanded by Leon Trotsky) opened fire on the rebellious sailors, soldiers and workers of Kronstadt. Trotsky once said that “One can't make an omelet without breaking eggs." (From the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1932 - More than 3,000 people, led by the United Auto Workers union, marched on the main Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, demanding that laid off workers be rehired, a slowdown of the assembly lines and an end to the evictions of unemployed workers from their homes. During the protests, police opened fire with machine guns, killing 4 and injuring 60. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1942 – IWW founder and anarchist labor organizer Lucy Parsons died on this date in Chicago, Illinois. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1996 – A crowd of 3,000 workers destroyed the Freeport copper mine facilities in Tamika, Irian Jaya (West Papua), after a Dani clansman was run over by company security. The mine was shut down as community organizations prepared a list of demands protesting human rights violations, eco-terrorism and cultural genocide. Overnight, the world price of copper jumped from $15 to $2580 per ton. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—July 30

July 30, 1863 - Automobile tycoon Henry Ford was born on this date in Dearborn, Michigan. His introduction of the assembly line and other mass production techniques revolutionized profit-making not only by dramatically increasing worker productivity, and therefore reducing labor costs, but also by deskilling the workforce and weakening the power of the workers. (From Workday Minnesota)

July 30, 1866 – Police shoot into a group of black workers outside the Mechanics Institute in New Orleans. A crowd of whites then stormed the hall. By the time federal troops restored order, 38 were dead and 136 wounded — almost all of them black. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 30, 1912 – A General Strike began in Belgium. (From the Daily Bleed)

July 30, 1975 - Former Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa disappeared on this date. (From Workday Minnesota)

Today in Labor History—March 7

Lynn Shoemakers Strike, 1860 (Image from libcom)

March 7, 1860 – 6,000 shoemakers were joined by 20,000 other New England workers in a mass strike in Lynn, Massachusetts. Also known as the great New England shoemakers strike, thousands of women marched through a blizzard carrying signs saying: "American Ladies Will Not Be Slaves." Within a month, shoe manufacturers offered higher wages to bring strikers back to the factories, but continued to refuse to recognize a union. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1868 - The Knights of St. Crispin and the Daughters of St. Crispin organized to win regulation of the use of machinery in the shoe industry, which threatened handcrafted work. (From Workday Minnesota)

Bolshevik Bombs Confiscated During the 1905 Peasant Uprising

 March 7, 1905 – A Russian peasant rebellion began, during which the peasants burned many castles of the nobility. (From the Daily Bleed)

Red Army Attacking Kronstadt

 March 7, 1921 – Select forces of the Red Army (commanded by Leon Trotsky) opened fire on the rebellious sailors, soldiers and workers of Kronstadt. Trotsky once said that “One can't make an omelet without breaking eggs." (From the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1932 - More than 3,000 people, led by the United Auto Workers union, marched on the main Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, demanding that laid off workers be rehired, a slowdown of the assembly lines and an end to the evictions of unemployed workers from their homes. During the protests, police opened fire with machine guns, killing 4 and injuring 60. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1942 – IWW founder and anarchist labor organizer Lucy Parsons died on this date in Chicago, Illinois. (From the Daily Bleed)

March 7, 1996 – A crowd of 3,000 workers destroyed the Freeport copper mine facilities in Tamika, Irian Jaya (West Papua), after a Dani clansman was run over by company security. The mine was shut down as community organizations prepared a list of demands protesting human rights violations, eco-terrorism and cultural genocide. Overnight, the world price of copper jumped from $15 to $2580 per ton. (From the Daily Bleed)