Today in Labor History—June 23

Lamartine in front of the Town Hall of Paris rejects the red flag on 25 February 1848

June 23, 1848 – Workers rose up in Paris. The rebellion lasted until the 26th. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 23, 1947 - The anti-worker Taft-Hartley Act was passed, overriding President Harry Truman’s veto. The act rolled back many of the labor protections created by the 1935 Wagner Act. Taft-Hartley weakened unions in numerous ways, including the banning of the general striking. It also allowed states to exempt themselves from union requirements. Twenty states immediately enacted anti-union open shop laws. (From Workday Minnesota and Shmoop Labor History)

June 23, 1966 – Race riots began in Cleveland, Ohio and continued for a month. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 22

Ruins of the Ludlow Miners Tent Colony

June 22, 1914 – After calls for revenge against Standard Oil for the Ludlow Massacre, an anarchist bomb intended for the Rockefeller Mansion unintentionally detonated in the Ferrer Center on this date, killing three anarchists and putting a temporary end to the Modern School, which was housed there. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 22, 1920 – Following an immense open air meeting in Milan supporting the local striking rail workers, people returning home were fired upon and assaulted by gendarmes, aided by nationalists. Five young workers were shot dead and many wounded. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 22, 1922 - A several hundred striking miners seized a group of strikebreakers scabbing for the Southern Illinois Coal Company, killing 19, in what would become known as the “Herrin Massacre.” Several strikers were held in the Williamson County jail, which is now a historical museum focusing on the conflict. Those who were tried for the murders were all acquitted. (From Workday Minnesota)

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—June 19

Juneteenth Celebration, Richmond Virginia, 1905

June 19, 1865 – Slaves were declared free in Texas, a date now celebrated each year as the holiday "Juneteenth." (From the Daily Bleed)

Juneteenth Celebration, Austin, Texas, 1900

 June 19, 1886 – The Kangaroo trial of eight anarchists for the Haymarket bombing began in Chicago on this date. (From the Daily Bleed)

The  Haymarket Martyrs

 June 19, 1888 – U.S. marines attacked Seoul, Korea, (to protect U.S. interests?)  (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1898 --Guam was bombarded by the U.S.S. Charleston (To steal Spanish interests?) (From the Daily Bleed)

IWW leaders Patrick Quinlan, Carlo Tresca, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Adolph Lessig, Big Bill Haywood, 1913

 June 19, 1902 –Silk workers struck in Paterson, New Jersey. The event escalated into a riot. Silk workers had struck several times in the 19^th century and again, in 1913, led by the IWW. (From the Daily Bleed)

Magonistas after capturing Mexicali

 June 19, 1911 – Federales and Maderistas retook Mexicali from the Magonista anarchist rebels, led by Ricardo Flores Magon. (From the Daily Bleed)

A Sandinista flag capture by U.S. marines

 June 19, 1930 – U.S. and Nicaraguan troops battled Sandinista forces. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1937 – The Women's Day Massacre: During the Great Ohio Steel Strike of 1937, there were numerous street battles between workers and police, including the Youngstown Riots & Poland Avenue Riot on June 21st. On June 19^th, there were smaller battles that some believe were initiated by the cops to test the likely extent of union resistance in a real fight.  When the cops in Youngstown couldn't find any union leaders to beat up, they went after women picketers who were sitting in chairs to support the strike. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1938 – Canada’s Bloody Sunday: The RCMP and Vancouver police attacked strikers with tear gas and clubs and battle unemployed workers at a Vancouver post office. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1953 – The Black community of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, began a bus boycott (2 ½ years before the more famous Montgomery, Alabama protest. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1953 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were electrocuted in Sing Sing for their alleged sale of atomic secrets to the Russians. In a little known related story, the Rosenberg’s orphaned children were adopted by the poet and lyricist Abel Meeropol, who wrote the anti-lynching song Strange Fruit, later made famous by Billie Holliday. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

June 19, 1953 – The ILWU began a four day strike to protest the Smith Act convictions of Jack Hall and six others for suspicion of being communists (See Today in Labor History—June 16). (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1968 – Over 50,000 demonstrators participated in the Poor People's Campaign Solidarity Day March in Washington, D.C. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1981 – Soldiers killed 200 Mayas in Coy, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1985 – Gunmen opened fire on an outdoor restaurant in San Salvador’s upscale Zona Rosa, killing 13, including four U.S. Marines and two U.S. businessmen. A broadcast by Radio Venceremos, the FMLN’s pirate radio station, said:  "If U.S. Army members and CIA agents died in San Salvador, it was because they came to attack our people. No one had summoned them; they died as a result of the interventionist policy carried out by President Reagan, whose intervention grows day by day. Reagan will have to assume full responsibility for his deeds." (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1988 – Haiti’s civilian government was overthrown by a U.S.-backed military coup. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 19, 1996 – Large parts of the South Korea auto industry were shut down by workers at Kia, the country's second largest auto company, in a wage dispute. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 16

Chartist riot, 1838

June 16, 1836 – The London Working Men's Association was formed, launching the Chartist movement.The Chartists took their name from the People's Charter, which demanded universal suffrage for men, regardless of social class. (From the Daily Bleed)

Berlin Revolutionaries

June 16, 1848 – The Berlin arsenal was captured by rebellious citizens. The "German Revolutions" of 1848 swept across 50 European states, mostly affiliated with the German Confederation and Austria. While the middle classes were fighting for a unified German state and increased civil liberties, the working class had more revolutionary aspirations. Participants in the revolution included communist and anarchist revolutionaries like Marx, Engels and Mikhail Bakunin, as well as the composer Wagner. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1869 – In the small mining town of Ricamarie, France, troops were called in to suppress a workers' strike, opening fire on demonstrators protesting the arrest of 40 workers, killing 14 (including a 17-month-old girl in her mother’s arms) and wounding 60 others (including 10 children). (From the Daily Bleed)

Susan Anthony

 June 16, 1873 – Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting. (From the Daily Bleed)

Eugene V. Debs delivering his Canton, Ohio speech.

June 16, 1918 –Eugene Debs delivered his famous Canton, Ohio anti-war Speech. America was at war with Germany, at the time, and radicals were being routinely rounded up and jailed, often illegally, when Debs gave this speech. The new Espionage Act was being used to prosecute people for their opposition to the war and Deb’s speech was used to make the case that he had violated the Act. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1920 – The U.S. Marines began fighting in Haiti to defend U.S. “interests” there. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1933 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which recognized the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively through unions. The legislation was later found unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. However, it helped inspire a wave of union organizing and pave the way for the National Labor Relations Act, which was passed in 1935. (From Workday Minnesota)

International Brigadiers at the Battle of Belchite

 June 16, 1937 – The Trotskyist POUM, a significant constituent of the Spanish Republican forces (and the group with which George Orwell fought) was outlawed and its militants persecuted by the counter-revolutionary Stalinists and the Republic's police, thus making the Republic and the Stalinists more vulnerable to the fascists. (From the Daily Bleed). For a good fictionalization of the Spanish war against the fascists, and the POUM's and anarchist's betrayal by the Stalinists, see Ken Loach's Tierra y Libertad.

June 16, 1953 – Jack Hall of the ILWU and six others (the "Hawai‘i Seven") were convicted under the Smith Act for being communists. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1976 – 10,000 students demonstrated in Soweto South Africa, protesting against the requirement that they learn the Afrikaans language in their schools. The uprising spread to seven other black townships. In the end, 128 were killed and 1,112 injured. By the end of the year, thousands had died in demonstrations throughout the country including 700 black children. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1986 – Despite arrests, millions stayed home in a black trade union strike commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Soweto uprising. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1987 – Paper workers struck near Portland, Maine. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1991 – A General Strike began in Madagascar. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1992 – Millions of workers struck in India to protest government reforms. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 16, 1993 – 400 nude prostitutes protest police abuse, Matamoros, Mexico. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 13

Wat Tyler's Death

June 13, 1381 – Continuation of Wat’s Rebellion: Thousands of peasants marched into London to demand an end to serfdom and higher wages. At first King Richard II acceded to their demands, but then had peasant leader Wat Tyler killed and reneged on his promises. Hundreds of peasants were executed. (From Workday Minnesota)

Amadeo Bordia

 June 13, 1889 – Amadeo Bordiga, Italian Marxist and proponent of Council Communism was born (d1970). Bordiga once called Stalin "the gravedigger of the revolution." (From the Daily Bleed)

Qing Armies fighting the Japanese and British

June 13, 1900 – China's Boxer Rebellion against foreigners and Christians continues. The rebellion began in response to the beating of two young Boxers by Baron von Ketteler, German colonial ambassador. The uprising began with riots and arson, with Ketteler himself ultimately being ambushed and killed. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 13, 1914 – A riot erupted out at the Miner's Union Day parade in Butte Montana. Acting mayor Frank Curran was pushed out of second-story window. Frustration and mistrust had been growing for decades. In 1914, miners were being paid $3.50 a day, the same as in 1878, despite the fact that the price of copper had more than doubled in that same time period.  (From the Butte America website and the Daily Bleed)

June 13, 1925 – During continuing strike actions, angry miners burned three company stores in Nova Scotia to the ground. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 10

Burning of the frigate Philadelphia in Tripoli Harbor, by Edward Moran

June 10, 1801 – Tripoli declared war on the U.S., for refusing to pay tribute to their pirates, and the U.S. attacked, in the “First Libyan War.” U.S. forces attacked by land and sea, forcing Tripoli to accept peace in June, 1805. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1892 – A massive strike by miners occurred in Coeur d'Alenes, Idaho. In order to prevent scabs from working the mines while they were on strike, workers destroyed & seized mines. The strike was broken after the state declared martial law. (From the Daily Bleed)

King Alexander and Queen Dragia

 June 10, 1903 – King Alexander I and Queen Dragia of Serbia were assassinated. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1904 – 79 striking Colorado miners were "deported" to Kansas, following a battle between the Colorado Militia and striking miners at Dunnville. The battle ended with six union members dead and 15 taken prisoner. Dozens were arrested without warrants and held without formal charges. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1917 –A massive citywide textile strike for better wages and working conditions began in Sao Paulo, lasting over a month. Workers tried to appeal to the sympathies of police and soldiers, but when this failed openly confronted them. By July they were joined by striking cab drivers, utility workers and craft workers, totaling over 20,000 on strike. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1928 – Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, was born, Brooklyn, New York. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1940 – African liberationist Marcus Garvey died in London. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1960 – Thousands of council workers and revolutionary students surrounded the entourage of U.S. Presidential Press Secretary Hagerty at Haneda airport in Tokyo. Hagerty had to be rescued by a US marine helicopter, while the pro-imperialist government of Japan collapsed in embarrassment. President Eisenhower, fearing for his life, cancelled his July visit. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 10, 1963 - The Equal Pay Act was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy. The law prohibits employers from paying men and women different wages for the same job. (From Workday Minnesota)

June 10, 1971 – Police and death squads killed 43 student protesters in México City. (again). In 1968, the government massacred hundreds of students and bystanders in the Tlatelolco massacre (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—May 28

Grachus Babeuf

May 28, 1797 – Revolutionary Gracchus Babeuf was executed (1760-1797). Babeuf formed a secret society that plotted to overthrow the government, known as the Conspiracy of the Equals. The group included Sylvain Maréchal, Jacques Roux, Jean Varlet and others. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 28, 1879 – The First American law prohibiting employment of women was passed to prevent women from working in Illinois, in coal mines. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 28, 1937 – Petroleum workers struck in Mexico. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 28, 1946 –A General Strike shut down Rochester, New York. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 28, 1967 – Schoolteachers returned to work after a 6-day strike. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 28, 1968 – Students occupied the University of Madrid (still under control of fascist dictator Francisco Franco). Cops raided the campus and removed the occupiers, and then shut down the University. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—May 22

Versaille generals being shot during the Paris Commune

May 22, 1871 –The "Bloody Week" continued in France for the second day, as government forces brutally suppressed the Paris Commune. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 22, 1895 – Eugene Debs was thrown in prison for his role in the Pullman Railway Strike (also known as the "Debs Rebellion"). (From the Daily Bleed)

May 22, 1930 – Harvey Milk, gay rights activist and San Francisco city Supervisor, was born. He was assassinated by a former supervisor (and current lunatic) Dan White, who only got a couple years in jail using the famous Twinkie defense., resulting in rioting in San Francisco. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 22, 1968 –New York police busted through the barricades at Columbia University, busting the student occupations there, resulting in 998 arrested, over 200 injuries. They were demanding a black studies program and an end to military recruitment and ROTC on campus. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 22, 1969 –The first strike by Chicago teachers began on this day and lasted for three days. (From the Daily Bleed)

Greece Outlaws Teachers Strike

The Greek government has outlawed a teachers strike set to begin on May 17. The government signed a civil mobilization order banning the strike, something that previously had only been used in times of national emergencies, according the WSWS. This is the first time the tactic has been used preemptively before a strike has even started. Workers who violate the order are subject to being fired, arrested and jailed.

Since the imposition of austerity in 2008, the Greek government has relied on such heavy handed tactics to crush any opposition and keep the public in line. Civil mobilization orders, with the support of riot police, were used to violently suppress strikes by subway, rail and tram workers earlier this year. The teachers’ strike ban follows the Greek government’s latest deal with the European Commission, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank, attacking teachers’ pay and benefits, and working conditions (including the demand they work an extra two hours per week without pay). 10,000 teachers also face being laid off, according to the WSWS.

So far, no civil mobilization order has been defied by the unions, thus encouraging the government to continue making anti-worker deals with the IMF and European Central Bank. However, thousands of people did demonstrate against the civil mobilization on Monday and teachers voted this week whether to defy the mobilization orders and strike. Preliminary results indicate that the majority of teachers do indeed wish to strike, despite the threat of being fired and sent to prison for 5 years. However, according to the WSWS, the public service trade union federation (ADEDY) will not support the teachers and has undermined attempts by its members to protest the mobilization order.

Looked at in isolation, the strike ban in Greece seems like an autocratic attack on democratic rights, which it is. However, similar events are taking place throughout Europe and elsewhere, indicating a concerted effort by governments to extract concessions and givebacks on behalf of an employing class that wants everyone but themselves to pay for their economic crisis. In Denmark, for example, 70,000 teachers were recently locked out for resisting attacks on their working conditions, while teachers in Mexico and public sector workers in Turkey have been accused of terrorism and imprisoned for similar resistance. In the U.S. teachers strikes are banned in many states, while Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has used the state to take over several school districts and impose dictatorial financial managers with the power to remove unions and fire elected officials.

Today in Labor History--May 12

May 12, 1856 – Trade unions in Victoria, Australia, demonstrated for the 8-hour day. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 12, 1902 –Anthracite coal miners went on strike in Pennsylvania. (From the Daily Bleed)

James Connolly

May 12, 1916 -- James Connolly, IWW organizer and Irish freedom fighter was executed on this date in Dublin for his role in the Easter Rising. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 12, 1921 – The “Three Day's Battle" began along both shores of the Tug River, in West Virginia, with sniping by labor strikers at state police, deputies and coal company officials. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 12, 1926 – The Massachusetts Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of Sacco & Vanzetti, denying their motion for a new trial. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 12, 1927 – Sandinista guerrillas decided to continue their fight until they defeat the invading U.S. Marines. One of their manifestos read, "it is better to be killed as a rebel than to live on as a slave." (From the Daily Bleed)

May 12, 1950 – A court ordered Communist Party head Eugene Dennis to serve a year in jail for refusing to testify before House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). (From the Daily Bleed)