Today in Labor History—June 24

June 24, 1904 –Troops arrested 22 workers in Telluride, Colorado, accused them of being strike leaders and deported them out of the Telluride district. This was a repeat of events in March, in which 60 union miners were deported. (From the Daily Bleed)
 

Palmer disciplining labor?

June 24, 1917 – The IWW Domestic Workers Union supplied sandwiches to dozens of draft resistors in the Duluth, Minnesota jail. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 24, 1917 – The Russian Black Sea fleet mutinied at Sevastopol. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 24, 1919 – After the house of Attorney General Palmer was attacked on June 2, 1919, the Italian anarchist Luigi Galleani and his colleagues on the newspaper "Cronaca Sovversiva" were expelled from the country. Palmer oversaw the mass deportation of dozens of labor leaders, anarchists and communists, in addition to mass arrests.

June 24, 1943 – Otto Rühle (1874-1943), German Left communist of the Spartacist League (along with Liebknecht, Luxemburg, Mehring), died in Mexico. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 24, 1969 – Blacks rioted in Omaha, Nebraska, after police killed African American teenager Vivian Strong. Rioting lasted for four days. Omaha had seen race riots in 1968, 1966 and numerous labor dispute riots throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

June 24, 1971 – Seventeen workers were killed in a water tunnel in Sylmar, California, as the second explosion in two days rocked the worksite. (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 21

June 21, 1852—Friedrich Froebel died. Froebel was a German pedagogue who coined the term “kindergarten” and produced the first educational toys, known as Froebel Gifts. Froebel was one of the first to recognize of the importance of activity and play in early childhood (Freiarbeit, or free work), as well as the notion that one learns by doing. Thus, kindergarten was not simply a poetic “garden” of children, but a literal garden for them to observe and interact with the natural world. Froebel’s kindergartens were suppressed by the Prussian government for its supposed denigration of religion and politics. He rejected the notion of original sin and promoted and practiced the coeducation of boys and girls. He also felt children should be able to grow and develop without the influence of arbitrary political and social priorities—ideas that would endear him to anarchists like Francisco Ferrer and others in the Modern School movement.

James McParland, Pinkerton private cop who claimed to have infiltrated the Molly Maguires

June 21, 1877 - Ten miners, allegedly members of the Molly Maguires, were hanged in Pennsylvania. Many historians argue that the Molly Maguires, a secret miners’ organization allegedly responsible for violence and social conflict in the coal regions, never really existed. The investigation into the miners’ involvement with the Molly Maguires was conducted by private detective agency. A private police force arrested them and coal company attornies prosecuted them. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

June 21, 1937 -- The Ohio Steel Strike of 1937 continued. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 21, 1943 – The Detroit race riots continued. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 21, 1964 - Civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were disappeared near Philadelphia, Mississippi by the Ku Klux Klan, who beat them to death with clubs and chaings. Their mangled bodies were later found by federal agents. (From Workday Minnesota)

June 21, 1994 – The UAW began a strike at Caterpillar plants in Peoria, Decatur, & Pontiac.
(From the Daily Bleed)

June 21, 1997 – 100,000 marched in solidarity with striking newspaper labor workers in Detroit. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 17

June 17, 1838 – On or about today the first Cherokee Indians began the Trail of Tears forced march to Oklahoma. 4000 Cherokees died as a result of President Jackson's Indian Removal bill, 10% of the tribe. (From the Daily Bleed)

Sioux charge during the Battle of Rosebud (image from the Library of Congress)

 June 17, 1876 – An encampment of Lakota and Cheyenne in Rosebud, South Dakota, led by Crazy Horse, was attacked by U.S. army soldiers, who were subsequently routed. (From the Daily Bleed)

Potemkin propaganda, 1925 (from x-ray delta one's flikr stream)

 June 17, 1905 – Five ships of the Black Sea fleet arrived from Sevastopol to quash the mutiny on the battleship Potemkin. One of the ships, the George the Conqueror, joined the Potemkin rebels, with both ships escaping to Romanian waters. (From the Daily Bleed)

Magonistas, Tijuana, June 22, 1911

 June 17, 1911 – Tijuana was recaptured from the Magonista anarchist rebels by Federal troops, now lead by Madero. Among those surviving and escaping was the famous Wobbly songwriter Joe Hill. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 17, 1913 – The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) initiated a sit down strike at the Studebaker auto plant. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 17, 1936 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee was founded in Pittsburgh, by Philip Murray, John L. Lewis and nine other labor organizers. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee evolved into the United Steelworkers of America. Within one year, more than 125,000 people had joined the union, rallying around the goal of raising wages to $5 per day. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

Tank in Liepzig (Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 175-14676 / CC-BY-SA)

 June 17, 1953 – Workers revolted in East Berlin and Leipzig, sparking rebellions all over East Germany. Workers were striking for democracy and in opposition to Russian imperialism. The USSR responded with tanks. (From the Daily Bleed)

FOIA released CIA file on the overthrow of Arbenz

June 17, 1954 – The CIA supplied and directed Guatemalan forces in the overthrow constitutionally elected government of Jacabo Arbenz Guzman, after it nationalized United Fruit Co. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 17, 1980 – Mine workers struck in Montana today through November 21. (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—June 8

June 8, 1852 –The first documented labor strike in San Francisco occurred when Chinese laborers demanded a raise while working on the Parrott granite building. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 8, 1904 – A battle between the Colorado Militia and striking mine workers at Dunnville ended with six union members dead and 15 taken prisoner. (See Colorado Labor Wars, Today in Labor History—June 7) 79 of the strikers were deported to Kansas thanks to Rockefeller, who effectively owned the state government and militia. (From the Daily Bleed)

USS Liberty

June 8, 1967 – Israeli aircraft and boats attacked the USS Liberty during Israel's "Six Day War." The unprovoked assault killed 34 U.S. sailors and wounded 170. The U.S. government “investigated” the attack and issued a whitewashed report calling it an unfortunate mistake. However, witnesses and critics dispute this claim, calling it a deliberate attack by Israel to silence U.S. criticism of Israel’s war tactics. According to George Ball, undersecretary of state at the time, the attack set the stage for future Israeli policy by sending the message to Israel's leaders “that nothing they might do would offend the Americans to the point of reprisal. If America’s leaders did not have the courage to punish Israel for the blatant murder of American citizens, it seemed clear that their American friends would let them get away with almost anything." (From the Daily Bleed, Democracy Now and Wikipedia)

Today in Labor History—June 7

June 7, 1896 – A bomb exploded during a religious parade in Spain, killing a dozen people and wounding 30. The government response was to mass arrest anarchists, torturing hundreds in the Montjuich Prison. The severity of the government’s response sparked international protests. (From the Daily Bleed)

Cripple Creek under martial law, 1894

"Illegal" sheriffs' deputies under arrest, Cripple Creek, 1894

June 7, 1907 – The Colorado state militia was sent to Cripple Creek (again), to suppress a Western Federation of Miners (WFM) strike. A brutal strike occurred in Cripple Creek in 1894, the only time a state militia was called out in support of striking workers. There had been numerous firefights between striking workers and the mine owners’ private security forces, including the use of dynamite. The private cops had been terrorizing union members, their families and even local residents unaffiliated with the mines. The WFM won that strike, but it was short-lived, with the mine owners going on the offensive, particularly in 1903-1904, a period known as the Colorado Labor Wars. During this period, private detectives, goons, vigilantes, state militias and national guards were all used by the mine owners to attack the miners. On June 6, 1904, there was an explosion at the Independence mine that killed several nonunion miners. The Citizen’s Alliance brought in the National Guard, who, on June 7, shot into the WFM’s union hall. The Citizen’s Alliance also set up Kangaroo courts and convicted and deported nearly 240 miners who refused to renounce their union memberships. The Cripple Creek strike officially ended in December, 1907. However, the WFM’s struggle in Colorado helped inspire the creation of the even more radical Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), in 1905. One of the leaders of the WFM and Cripple Creek struggle, Big Bill Haywood, was also a founding member of the IWW. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

June 7, 1929 – Striking textile workers in Gastonia, North Carolina, fought off a vigilante attack on their union hall. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 7, 1968 – Violent clashes occurred between French workers at the Renault plant and police. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 7, 1971 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that clothing with the words "Fuck the Draft" was protected by the First amendment. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 7, 1991 – A three-week General Strike in Albania ended by bringing down the government. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 7, 2001 – George Bush signed a $1.35-trillion tax cut, mostly for the rich. Not long after this “stimulus” plan was put into action, the economy, went further into the tank. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 5

June 5, 1832 – The poor of Paris revolted against the new monarchy. The Society of the Friends of the People raised the red flag, declaring "Liberty or Death." The uprising was the inspiration for Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. (From the Daily Bleed)

Ruins of Columbus, New Mexico, 1916, After Raid by Pancho Villa

 June 5, 1878 – Francisco "Pancho" Villa was born, San Juan del Rio, Durango. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 5, 1906 – The leaders of the Cananea copper strike were arrested. (From the Daily Bleed)

Lowly Driving Off in His Busytown Apple Car (Image by Valerie Everett)

June 5, 1919 – Children’s book author Richard Scarry was born, Boston. Scarry wrote or illustrated over 300 books and brought us characters like Huckle the Cat, Lowly the Worm, Wild Bill Hiccup and Gold Bug. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 5, 1919 – 67 anarchists were arrested and set up for deportation in the wake of a bomb explosion, marking the beginning of the infamous "Palmer raids" that ultimately led to the deportations and imprisonment of thousands of union members, communists and anarchists. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 5, 1919 – Merchants and workers struck in Shanghai to support students. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 5, 1925 – Mine owners in La Coruna, Chile, launched an attack on rebel workers in a nitrate mine encampment. Over 500 workers were tortured in Iqueque. This came in the wake of an earlier massacre in March, in which 500 were slaughtered by the government. (From the Daily Bleed and Wikipedia)

June 5, 1967 – Israel attacked Egypt and Syria, during the Six- Day War, resulting in its illegal occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, Gaza Strip & Golan Heights. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 5, 1969 – Imprisoned U.S. soldiers rioted at the military penal stockade at Fort Dix over barbarous conditions and the tortures being inflicted on them by the US military state. The majority were in prison for going AWOL, resisting the draft, or as conscientious objectors. Many were being held without trial. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—June 1

June 1 is the day that U.S. labor law officially allows children under the age of 16 to work up to 8 hours per day between the hours of 7:00 am and 9:00 pm. (From Workday Minnesota) Time is ticking away, Bosses. Have you signed up sufficient numbers of low-wage tykes to maintain production rates with your downsized adult staffs?

 

Tupac Amaru

June 1, 1572 – The Battle of Coyaochaca between Hurtado de Arbieto and the rebel army of Tupac Amaru was fought in Peru. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 1, 1771 – A crowd of women was arrested while destroying the fences around Rewhay Common, England, in attempt to resist the enclosures of the commons that was occurring throughout the coutnry. Another group of women marched to Burton-on-Trent where they freed their comrades. (From the Daily Bleed)

 

Arggghh, Matey, Nicaragua is My Personal Slave State!

June 1, 1855 – American pirate William Walker conquered Nicaragua, ceded it to the U.S. south, and reintroduced slavery. Walker was later captured and executed in Trujillo, Honduras. (From the Daily Bleed)

 

Captain Jack, Modoc Warrier

June 1, 1873 – Captain Jack, who led a band of 52 warriors against the U.S. army near Tule Lake, California, finally surrendered to U.S. troops. The fight was part of the Modoc Wars, in which the Modoc tribe (southern Oregon and Northern California) resisted domination by the U.S. Many of his own people had joined with the U.S. forces to help capture him. Captain Jack had led the most expensive Indian War in US history. (From the Daily Bleed, Wikipedia)

 

Cananea Riot, 1906

June 1, 1906 – The bloody Cananea copper miners' strike began in Sonora, Mexico. The miners were demanding 5 pesos a day and an 8-hour workday, commensurate with the U.S. citizens who were working with them side-by-side. As many as 100 miners were killed. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 1, 1909 – W. E. DuBois founded the NAACP. (From the Daily Bleed)

 

Raising of U.S. Flag as U.S. Occupied Veracruz

June 1, 1914 – 80 militia men refused to board a train as reinforcements for the U.S. invasion of Veracruz, Mexico. The U.S. ultimately occupied the region for six months because President Huerta refused to provide the U.S. with a 21-gun salute as an apology for arresting nine U.S. sailors. More significantly, Veracruz was an important oil port. Germany and Britain had been battling for its control. The occupation gave the U.S. greater influence on the still unfolding Mexican revolution, as well as the growing tensions in Europe. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 1, 1914 – U.S. troops arrived in Colorado to reclaim coal mines from striking miners, after the Colorado National Guard massacred 19 in the miners’ camp. 2 women and 11 children were among those killed. (From the Daily Bleed, and here and here)

June 1, 1916 – Pacific Coast longshoremen (ILA) struck up and down the Pacific coast. (From the Daily Bleed)

 

Propaganda Poster for the May 30th Movement

June 1, 1925 – The Shanghai General Strike began, as part of an ongoing labor insurgency occurring throughout China's industrial cities. The day prior, police opened fire on protesters. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 1, 1929 --A meeting of the Korean Anarchist Federation (KAF) was held in Peking in which it was decided to divert all resources outside Korea itself to Manchuria. Over 2 million Koreans were living in Manchuria at the time, and the KAF was a significant force. Their significance was short-lived, however, as the Japanese attacked from the south, while Stalinists attacked from the north. By 1931, many of the anarchist leaders were dead and the region was devastated. (From the Daily Bleed and The Korean Anarchist Movement)

June 1, 1942 - The Polish Socialist newspaper, Liberty Brigade, made the first public report that that the Nazis were gassing Jews by the thousands. In the article, they published an interview with a young Jew, Emanuel Ringelblum, who had escaped the Chelmno death camp. (From Workday Minnesota)

June 1, 1963 – The U.S. Supreme Court banned formal prayers and religious exercises from public schools. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 1, 1968 – Libertarian Socialist Helen Keller died in Westport, Connecticut. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 1, 1981 – Two Filipino longshore labor organizers, Domingo & Viernes, were assassinated in Seattle, Washington on orders of U.S.-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos. (From the Daily Bleed)