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—May 30

May 30, 1741 – 13 black men were burned at the stake, and 17 black men, two white men, and two white women were hanged, for their roles in a New York City slave revolt in. (From the Daily Bleed)

Mikhail Bakunin

 May 30, 1814 –Anarchist Mikhail Bakunin was born, Russia. (From the Daily Bleed)

Maxim Gorkey, 1906 (Library of Congress)

May 30, 1901 – Maxim Gorky, imprisoned for printing revolutionary literature, was released after Leo Tolstoy interceded on his behalf. Gorky later served a similar role, interceding on behalf of writers imprisoned by Stalin. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 30, 1912 – U.S. Marines invaded Nicaragua. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 30, 1937 - “Memorial Day massacre:” Police attacked striking steelworkers, shooting many in the back, killing 10 and wounding 100, at the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 30, 1968 – May Days continued in France, which was now in the midst of a giant general strike. Trains stopped running. Airports were shut down. Millions of workers barricaded themselves in their factories. Even soccer players occupied their stadiums. Politicians warned that they were on the verge of civil war or revolution. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—May 26

Mandrin, France's "Robin Hood"

May 26, 1755 – Louis Mandrin, the French version of Robin Hood, was caught and executed. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1791 – King Louis XVI of France was forced by the revolutionary French Assembly to relinquish his crown and state assets. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1851 – Stevedores and Longshoreman struck in San Francisco. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1871 – The “Bloody Week” of repression and violence against the Paris Commune continued, with battles at the Bastille and Villette. Communards were defeated on this date at Belleville and Père Lachaise. The Versailles forces assassinated injured communards in their ambulances, inspiring an angry crowd to execute 50 hostages in revenge. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1894 –The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) struck for an eight-hour day in Cripple Creek, Colorado. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1920 –The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Marine Transport Workers struck in Philadelphia. (From the Daily Bleed)

Walter Reuther, UAW

May 26, 1937 - Henry Ford unleashed his company goons on United Auto Workers organizers at the “Battle of the Overpass” near the River Rouge plant. General Motors and Chrysler signed collective bargaining agreements with the UAW in 1937, but Ford held out until 1942. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 26, 1937 --The "Little Steel" strike began in Ohio. Over 600 workers picketed at Republic’s mill in Cleveland, while virtually every one of its 6500 workers abandoned the mill. The National Guard was used to crush the strike, first in Youngstown, and then in Canton, Massillon, Warren and finally Cleveland, completely busting the strike by mid-July. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1944 –The French resistance called General Strike against the Nazis in Marseille, while a U.S. bombing raid on Marseille killed 6,000 in the workers' districts. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1968 – The May Days uprisings were continuing in France. A General Strike had paralyzed the government which was on the verge of collapse. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—February 26

A Young Karl Marx

February 26, 1848 – 29 year-old Karl Marx published The Communist Manifesto in London. (From the Daily Bleed)

February 26, 1912 – A coal strike began in Derbyshire England, developing into a nationwide General Strike on March 1. (From the Daily Bleed)


February 26, 1915 – Armaments workers went on strike for more pay in England. (From the Daily Bleed)

Kronstadt Rebels Attacked by Red Army, March, 1921

February 26, 1921 – In the midst of the Kronstadt uprising, delegates were sent to Petrograd tofind out about strikes occurring there. (From the Daily Bleed)

February 26, 1941 – Workers struck at Bethlehem Steel plants. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—October 1

Cherokee Chief John Ross

October 1, 1838 – The Cherokees began the “The Trail of Tears” forced march in which hundreds died of sickness, dehydration, and exposure. (FromWorkday Minnesota)

October 1, 1851 – 10,000 New Yorkers busted up a police station in Syracuse to free a recaptured escaped slave. William "Jerry" Henry, a runaway slave and craftsman in Syracuse, NY, was arrested by a US Marshall and was set to be returned to slavery. Citizens of the city stormed the sheriff's office, freed Henry and helped him escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad. (From the Daily Bleed)

Building the Suez Canal

 October 1, 1894 – Greek workers employed by the Suez Canal Company went on strike in Egypt. (From the Daily Bleed)

Rubble of the LA Times Building After the 1910 Bombing

 October 1, 1910 – Twenty-one people were killed when the Los Angeles Times building was dynamited during a labor strike. Anarchists were immediately blamed. The McNamara brothers were kidnapped and taken to the private home of a Chicago police sergeant, where many labor leaders believe they were tortured. They were convicted based on the testimony of a third individual who was also presumably tortured  (From the Daily Bleed)

October 1, 1918 -- Street fighting between workers and the authorities occurred in Berlin throughout October and November. By November, the country was in a full-scale revolution, with councils of workers, soldiers, intellectuals and artists replacing the government. (From the Daily Bleed)

October  1, 1928 – Joseph Stalin's first five-year plan was announced, calling for development of heavy industry, seizure of farms, and collectivization of all workers (unions, of course, are forbidden). (From the Daily Bleed)

October 1, 1949 – 500,000 U.S. steel workers went on strike. (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—May 30

May 30, 1741 – 13 black men were burned at the stake, and 17 black men, two white men, and two white women were hanged, for their roles in a New York City slave revolt in. (From the Daily Bleed)

Mikhail Bakunin

 May 30, 1814 –Anarchist Mikhail Bakunin was born, Russia. (From the Daily Bleed)

Maxim Gorkey, 1906 (Library of Congress)

May 30, 1901 – Maxim Gorky, imprisoned for printing revolutionary literature, was released after Leo Tolstoy interceded on his behalf. Gorky later served a similar role, interceding on behalf of writers imprisoned by Stalin. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 30, 1912 – U.S. Marines invaded Nicaragua. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 30, 1937 - “Memorial Day massacre:” Police attacked striking steelworkers, shooting many in the back, killing 10 and wounding 100, at the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 30, 1968 – May Days continued in France, which was now in the midst of a giant general strike. Trains stopped running. Airports were shut down. Millions of workers barricaded themselves in their factories. Even soccer players occupied their stadiums. Politicians warned that they were on the verge of civil war or revolution. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—May 26

Mandrin, France's "Robin Hood"

May 26, 1755 – Louis Mandrin, the French version of Robin Hood, was caught and executed. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1791 – King Louis XVI of France was forced by the revolutionary French Assembly to relinquish his crown and state assets. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1851 – Stevedores and Longshoreman struck in San Francisco. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1871 – The “Bloody Week” of repression and violence against the Paris Commune continued, with battles at the Bastille and Villette. Communards were defeated on this date at Belleville and Père Lachaise. The Versailles forces assassinated injured communards in their ambulances, inspiring an angry crowd to execute 50 hostages in revenge. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1894 –The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) struck for an eight-hour day in Cripple Creek, Colorado. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1920 –The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Marine Transport Workers struck in Philadelphia. (From the Daily Bleed)

Walter Reuther, UAW

May 26, 1937 - Henry Ford unleashed his company goons on United Auto Workers organizers at the “Battle of the Overpass” near the River Rouge plant. General Motors and Chrysler signed collective bargaining agreements with the UAW in 1937, but Ford held out until 1942. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 26, 1937 --The "Little Steel" strike began in Ohio. Over 600 workers picketed at Republic’s mill in Cleveland, while virtually every one of its 6500 workers abandoned the mill. The National Guard was used to crush the strike, first in Youngstown, and then in Canton, Massillon, Warren and finally Cleveland, completely busting the strike by mid-July. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1944 –The French resistance called General Strike against the Nazis in Marseille, while a U.S. bombing raid on Marseille killed 6,000 in the workers' districts. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 26, 1968 – The May Days uprisings were continuing in France. A General Strike had paralyzed the government which was on the verge of collapse. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—February 26

A Young Karl Marx

February 26, 1848 – 29 year-old Karl Marx published The Communist Manifesto in London. (From the Daily Bleed)

February 26, 1912 – A coal strike began in Derbyshire England, developing into a nationwide General Strike on March 1. (From the Daily Bleed)


February 26, 1915 – Armaments workers went on strike for more pay in England. (From the Daily Bleed)

Kronstadt Rebels Attacked by Red Army, March, 1921

February 26, 1921 – In the midst of the Kronstadt uprising, delegates were sent to Petrograd tofind out about strikes occurring there. (From the Daily Bleed)

February 26, 1941 – Workers struck at Bethlehem Steel plants. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—October 1

Cherokee Chief John Ross

October 1, 1838 – The Cherokees began the “The Trail of Tears” forced march in which hundreds died of sickness, dehydration, and exposure. (From Workday Minnesota)

October 1, 1851 – 10,000 New Yorkers busted up a police station in Syracuse to free a recaptured escaped slave. William "Jerry" Henry, a runaway slave and craftsman in Syracuse, NY, was arrested by a US Marshall and was set to be returned to slavery. Citizens of the city stormed the sheriff's office, freed Henry and helped him escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad. (From the Daily Bleed)

Building the Suez Canal

 October 1, 1894 – Greek workers employed by the Suez Canal Company went on strike in Egypt. (From the Daily Bleed)

Rubble of the LA Times Building After the 1910 Bombing

 October 1, 1910 – Twenty-one people were killed when the Los Angeles Times building was dynamited during a labor strike. Anarchists were immediately blamed. The McNamara brothers were kidnapped and taken to the private home of a Chicago police sergeant, where many labor leaders believe they were tortured. They were convicted based on the testimony of a third individual who was also presumably tortured  (From the Daily Bleed)

October 1, 1918 -- Street fighting between workers and the authorities occurred in Berlin throughout October and November. By November, the country was in a full-scale revolution, with councils of workers, soldiers, intellectuals and artists replacing the government. (From the Daily Bleed)

October  1, 1928 – Joseph Stalin's first five-year plan was announced, calling for development of heavy industry, seizure of farms, and collectivization of all workers (unions, of course, are forbidden). (From the Daily Bleed)

October 1, 1949 – 500,000 U.S. steel workers went on strike. (From the Daily Bleed)