Today in Labor History—January 12

Jack London, 1903

January 12, 1876 -  Novelist Jack London was born on this date. London once wrote that a scab was "After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a scab. A scab is a two-legged animal with a cork-screw soul, a water-logged brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles." (From Workday Minnesota)

January 12, 1928 – Police raided the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) Hall, in Walsenburg, Colorado. (From the Daily Bleed)

Cox's Army (From ExplorePAHistory.com)

 January 12, 1932 – 12,000 marchers from Father Cox's Shantytown in Pittsburg arrived in Washington, D.C. The shantytown, near St. Patrick's Catholic Church in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, lasted from 1929 to 1932, and was the staging base for the Reverend James Cox's unemployed army. On December 1931, 60,000 unemployed workers had rallied at Pitt Stadium in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (From the Daily Bleed)

January 12, 1933 – The anarchist uprisings which began on January 8 in Spain were brutally suppressed. In Andalusia, police and army buildings were attacked and the anarcho-trade unionists seized public buildings, proclaiming Libertarian Communism there. However, in the governmental repression that followed, villagers in Casas Viejas were burned alive and assassinated. (From the Daily Bleed)

January 12, 1962 – President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10988, guaranteeing federal workers the right to join unions & bargain collectively. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—August 11

August 11, 1828 – The first American labor party formed in Philadelphia. (From the Daily Bleed)

Coxey's army leaving the capital

 August 11, 1894 – Federal troops drove over 1,000 jobless workers from the nation's capital. Led by Charles "Hobo" Kelley, an unemployed activist from California, and Jacob Coxey, they camped in Washington D.C. starting in July. Kelley's Hobo Army included a young journalist named Jack London and a young miner-cowboy named Big Bill Haywood. Frank Baum was an observer of the protest and some say it influenced his Wizard of Oz, with the Scarecrow representing the American farmer, the tin man representing industrial workers and the Cowardly Lion representing William Jennings Bryan, all marching on Washington (Oz) to demand redress from the president (the Wizard). 650 miners, led by a "General" Hogan, captured a Northern Pacific train at Butte, Montana, en route to the protest. The Feds caught up with them at Billings, forcing a surrender, but a few eventually made it to Washington. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

Homestead strike

Terrorist as a Teenager: Carnegie, 16, Teaching his kid bro how to milk workers

August 11, 1919 - Andrew Carnegie, the richest and most successful late-19th century capitalist, died in New York (and Good Riddance!) Carnegie was a notorious union-buster and slave driver and was infamous for his role in crushing the Homestead strike of 1892. Carnegie mills produced one-quarter of the nation's steel by the earlier 20^th century, and his annual profits were $25 million. (From Workday Minnesota)

 

 August 11, 1945 – Striking Mexican American film workers blocked distribution of American films. (From the Daily Bleed)

Burning buildings, Watts

 August 11, 1965 – The Watts Riots began in LA when a white cop stopped a black driver, Marquette Frye, for drunkenness. By the time the riots subsided five days later, there were 34 dead, 800 wounded, 3,000 arrested and $200 million worth of property destroyed. (From the Daily Bleed)

August 11, 1970 – United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez launched a hunger strike to protest harassment by Teamsters officials. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—January 12

Jack London, 1903

January 12, 1876 -  Novelist Jack London was born on this date. London once wrote that a scab was "After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a scab. A scab is a two-legged animal with a cork-screw soul, a water-logged brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles." (From Workday Minnesota)

January 12, 1928 – Police raided the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) Hall, in Walsenburg, Colorado. (From the Daily Bleed)

January 12, 1932 – 12,000 marchers from Father Cox's Shantytown in Pittsburg arrived in Washington, D.C. The shantytown, near St. Patrick's Catholic Church in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, lasted from 1929 to 1932, and was the staging base for the Reverend James Cox's unemployed army. On December 1931, 60,000 unemployed workers had rallied at Pitt Stadium in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (From the Daily Bleed)

January 12, 1933 – The anarchist uprisings which began on January 8 in Spain were brutally suppressed. In Andalusia, police and army buildings were attacked and the anarcho-trade unionists seized public buildings, proclaiming Libertarian Communism there. However, in the governmental repression that followed, villagers in Casas Viejas were burned alive and assassinated. (From the Daily Bleed)

January 12, 1962 – President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10988, guaranteeing federal workers the right to join unions & bargain collectively. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—August 11

August 11, 1828 – The first American labor party formed in Philadelphia. (From the Daily Bleed)

Coxey's army leaving the capital

 August 11, 1894 – Federal troops drove over 1,000 jobless workers from the nation's capital. Led by Charles "Hobo" Kelley, an unemployed activist from California, and Jacob Coxey, they camped in Washington D.C. starting in July. Kelley's Hobo Army included a young journalist named Jack London and a young miner-cowboy named Big Bill Haywood. Frank Baum was an observer of the protest and some say it influenced his Wizard of Oz, with the Scarecrow representing the American farmer, the tin man representing industrial workers and the Cowardly Lion representing William Jennings Bryan, all marching on Washington (Oz) to demand redress from the president (the Wizard). 650 miners, led by a "General" Hogan, captured a Northern Pacific train at Butte, Montana, en route to the protest. The Feds caught up with them at Billings, forcing a surrender, but a few eventually made it to Washington. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

Homestead strike

Terrorist as a Teenager: Carnegie, 16, Teaching his kid bro how to milk workers

August 11, 1919 - Andrew Carnegie, the richest and most successful late-19th century capitalist, died in New York (and Good Riddance!) Carnegie was a notorious union-buster and slave driver and was infamous for his role in crushing the Homestead strike of 1892. Carnegie mills produced one-quarter of the nation's steel by the earlier 20^th century, and his annual profits were $25 million. (From Workday Minnesota)

 

 August 11, 1945 – Striking Mexican American film workers blocked distribution of American films. (From the Daily Bleed)

Burning buildings, Watts

 August 11, 1965 – The Watts Riots began in LA when a white cop stopped a black driver, Marquette Frye, for drunkenness. By the time the riots subsided five days later, there were 34 dead, 800 wounded, 3,000 arrested and $200 million worth of property destroyed. (From the Daily Bleed)

August 11, 1970 – United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez launched a hunger strike to protest harassment by Teamsters officials. (From the Daily Bleed)