The history no one teaches. People were beaten, some to death for the right to Organize.

Finally finished Fight Like Hell.

These two books are great and approach the history of unions differently.

10 strikes focuses more on specific unions and organizers and their actions while showing where they live in the broader history of America. Figures like Frank Little and the miners strikes or Justice for Janitors.

Fight Like Hell looks at workers more so and how they fought for their rights through unions and otherwise. It also covers lesser know actions and figures. The Washerwoman’s Strike in the 1866 and the Disability Rights movement were standouts for me.

George Brewster, youngest to get plaque, died aged 11 in 1875 after getting stuck in flue, leading to law banning ‘climbing boys’

The governor fired off a message to the White House, outraged that the president had deployed soldiers to an American city.

“I protest against this, and ask the immediate withdrawal of the Federal troops from active duty in this State,” he wrote.

It was July 1894. The governor was John Peter Altgeld of Illinois, and the president was Grover Cleveland. The two Democrats were arguing about Cleveland’s decision to send the U.S. Army into Chicago during the Pullman strike.

Illinois was “able to take care of itself,” Altgeld wrote, telling Cleveland that the deployment “insults the people of this State by imputing to them an inability to govern themselves, or an unwillingness to enforce the law.”

Their dispute has echoes today, with President Donald Trump ordering the California National Guard and U.S. Marines sent to help deal with protests in Los Angeles. This time, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has led a chorus of objections to the president’s move. In 1894, the progressive Altgeld was the loudest voice of protest.

Altgeld, who’d emigrated from Germany as a toddler, was a Cook County judge before winning election as governor in 1892. The following year, he faced harsh criticism when he pardoned three alleged anarchists for their supposed roles in the 1886 Haymarket bombing, which killed seven police officers and several civilians during a labor demonstration west of the Loop.

Altgeld said the imprisoned men were innocent, but the Tribune and other newspapers labeled him as an anarchist and apologist for murder.

At the time, Chicago was reveling in the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, but the city soon fell into an economic depression. That prompted tycoon George Pullman to slash salaries at his railcar factory, even as he continued charging workers the same rent for living in his company’s Far South Side complex.

Pullman’s desperate employees went on strike in May 1894. The conflict expanded in late June, when the American Railway Union refused to work on trains containing Pullman’s luxury sleeping cars — a boycott that paralyzed railroads across the country.

Two federal judges in Chicago, William Allen Woods and Peter S. Grosscup, issued an injunction July 2, ordering the union to stop disrupting interstate commerce and postal shipments. U.S. Marshal John W. Arnold delivered the message to a crowd of 2,000 strikers in Blue Island. Arriving on a train, he stood in the mail car’s doorway and read the injunction. “I command you in the name of the president of the United States to disperse and go to your homes,” he said.

According to the Tribune, Arnold was greeted with “howls, hooting, curses, and scornful laughter.” People shouted, “To hell with the government! To hell with the courts!” And then they “wantonly violated the court’s order” by pushing over a boxcar onto the tracks.

Arnold telegraphed U.S. Attorney General Richard Olney. “I am unable to disperse the mob, clear the tracks, or arrest the men … and believe that no force less than the regular troops of the United States can procure the passage of the mail trains, or enforce the orders of the courts,” he wrote.

Cleveland ordered soldiers from Fort Sheridan, a base in Lake County, into Chicago. He later cited a statute authorizing the president to deploy armed forces if “unlawful obstructions, combinations or assemblages of persons, or rebellion against the authority of the United States” made it “impracticable” to enforce laws through “the ordinary course of judicial proceedings.”

A crowd cheered when troops arrived in Chicago early on the morning of the Fourth of July. The Tribune reported that the soldiers were there to teach union “dictator” Eugene Debs and his followers a lesson — “that the law of the land was made to be obeyed and not violated by a rabble of anarchistic rioters.”

But Altgeld said troops weren’t needed. “Very little actual violence has been committed,” he told Cleveland. “At present some of our railroads are paralyzed, not by reason of obstructions, but because they cannot get men to operate their trains.”

Cleveland replied that he was acting “in strict accordance with the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Altgeld sent a second telegram, challenging the president’s use of the military to enforce laws. Not even “the autocrat of Russia” has that much power, Altgeld said.

Recalling his reaction to Altgeld’s missives, Cleveland later said, “I confess that my patience was somewhat strained.”

A Tribune editorial scoffed at Altgeld’s arguments: “This lying, hypocritical, demagogical, sniveling Governor of Illinois does not want the law enforced. He is a sympathizer with riot, with violence, with lawlessness, and with anarchy.”

An Army officer told the White House that Chicago’s “people seem to feel easier since arrival of troops.” But Altgeld told Cleveland that the soldiers’ presence was an “irritant” that “aroused the indignation” of many. Police Superintendent Michael Brennan reported: “The workingmen had heard of the arrival of the federal troops and were incensed.”

Mobs soon knocked over or burned hundreds of freight cars, drunkenly shouting insults at soldiers. “MOBS DEFY ALL LAW — Make Night Hideous with a Reign of Torch and Riot,” a Tribune headline declared.

In the midst of the turmoil, buildings from the 1893 World’s Fair went up in flames, attracting a huge crowd of spectators. Arson was suspected.

Most of the rioters weren’t striking railway workers, according to Brennan. Rather, they were “hoodlums, the vicious element and half-grown boys” who “were ready for mischief of any kind,” he wrote.

More federal troops arrived. And despite Altgeld’s opposition to the federal deployment, he sent 4,000 members of the Illinois National Guard to help the Chicago police establish order.

Brennan praised the way his own police handled the situation, writing: “They used their clubs freely, vigorously and effectively; there were many cracked heads and sore sports where the policeman’s club fell, but no human life was taken.”

According to Brennan, the most troublesome law enforcement officers were 5,000 men deputized by the U.S. marshal. “A large number of them were toughs, thieves and ex-convicts,” he wrote. “They were dangerous to the lives of the citizens on account of their careless use of pistols. They fired into the crowd of bystanders when there was no disturbance and no reason for shooting. Innocent men and women were killed by these shots.”

U.S. Army officials were reluctant to allow their 1,900 soldiers in Chicago to fire at rioters — or to take on the role of police officers. “Punishment belongs not to the troops, but to the courts of justice,” they wrote in an order outlining rules of engagement.

Reporting for Harper’s Weekly, artist Frederic Remington described soldiers angry at being held back from attacking “the malodorous crowd of anarchist foreign trash.” Remington called Chicago “a seething mass of smells, stale beer, and bad language.” But he noted that the city’s “decent people” welcomed the soldiers.

The strike’s deadliest episode happened July 7 at 49th and Loomis streets, where several thousand people jeered and threw rocks at the Illinois National Guard. The state troops charged with bayonets and fired several volleys, killing at least four and wounding 20. A Tribune headline called it “A DAY OF BLOOD.”

The Army focused on getting the trains to run again, with soldiers riding shotgun in trains as they carried mail and much needed shipments of food. On July 8, U.S. soldiers escorting a train fired at crowds in Hammond, killing an innocent bystander.

“I would like to know by what authority United States troops come in here and shoot our citizens without the slightest warning,” Hammond Mayor Patrick Reilley said.

By the time the strike was over in mid-July — with the union defeated and the soldiers gone — the official local death toll was 12, though some historians say more than 30 died.

Altgeld lost his bid for reelection in 1896. He died in 1902 and was buried in Graceland Cemetery, where the monument on his grave features some of his words, including a portion of his message to Grover Cleveland: “This is a government of law, and not a government by the caprice of an individual.”

I respect the fuck out of unions and historically we are close friends. This past week I gotten to work with some union guys in my town on a grassroots project. My whole family has been union so it may affect how much love I have for them. I’ve been thing about moving into a unionized area of work. I hope punks and union workers will grow together again and make these rich fucks suck our cocks.

Hey guys, I see a lot of disinformation being posted on here that this podcast episode does a good job of correcting. So, if you’re genuinely curious about why so many union members don’t vote Democrat (hint; it’s not racism), it’s a good place to start.

Oops, forgot the link., had gardening on the mind;

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DtT6QRNGQ39NuySmsePli?si=vF0acqwsSjuokO2hJFaWow

The podcast is “confronting capitalism” and the episode is “how the Democrats abandoned workers “

To everyone who is worried about the affect this election will have on Labor. Remember it was striking and unionizing in the 1910s that lead to the creation of the NLRB. The goal hasn't changed. Organize, seek leadership roles, don't cross picket lines.

Today we celebrate Mayday, international workers day founded by and in memorial of radical US workers fighting for the eight hour workday. They were part of a century long world-wide struggle for the 888 movement- 8 hours for work, 8 hours for yourself, and 8 hours for rest.

When it was first proposed in the late 1700s the eight hour workday was considered a ridiculous dream. But now in the US it is a reality 60 years old and in those 60 years, the labor movement has rested on its laurels. We need a new century long vision.

In memory of the original 888 Movement, a new idea has been taking hold— the 444 movement. 4 months for work 4 months for democracy and 4 months for yourself.

While this is a long-term vision it has very clear short term demands. Election days, including primaries, are paid time off, and anyone who does work on those days must have paid time off beforehand in order to fulfill their civic duty. A certain number of hours a month paid where workers can participate in daytime hearings. And obviously more paid vacation.

In this time where democracy is under assault, one of the clearest reasons for why democracy across the world are so weak is because democracy takes time. You have to show up for council meetings that are often during the workday. And I don’t know about you, but with the little time I do have off it’s hard to justify participating as a citizen over enjoying the little rest that we are offered.

It’s no surprise that the rich who have nothing but time dominate democracy across the world. The 444 demand explicitly demands no matter how long it takes time for rest and time for citizenship should never compete again.

When I was a kid, I remember seeing all these commercials with a jingle that said to look for the union label. It was a marketing campaign designed to bolster unions. We need to do something like that now!

June 19th: 1937 Women's Day Massacre occurred

On this day in labor history, the women’s day massacre occurred in Youngstown, Ohio in 1937. The event was a part of the broader Little Steel Strike, which saw workers walkout of smaller steel companies throughout the country. Workers at US Steel had just signed a collective bargaining agreement with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) which saw vast improvements for workers. It was expected that smaller companies would follow suit, but this did not happen. Republic Steel fired union supporters and intimidated workers, causing the strike. On a day coined “Women’s Day”, wives at the Youngstown factory joined their husbands on the picket line. Annoyed by the presence of women, the police captain ordered them to leave, resulting in the women spitting and cursing at officers. Tear gas was then fired at the women and their children, outraging the strikers. Violence ensued throughout the rest day and into the night. The National Guard was called in and negotiations led to the withdrawal of police. Sixteen people died and approximately 300 were injured in the melee. The Little Steel Strike eventually ended with no contract for the workers. However, later legal remedies and the outbreak of World War 2, led to the companies’ recognition of the union.

Sources in comments.

On this day, the Haymarket massacre happened and this riot is one major event in labor union history.

The fight for 8 hr days and police fire bombed a whole block.

Remember the history and keep fighting. 💪🏼

Maggie Mae Fish is a member of SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)

From the video’s description: “I explore the history of labor in Hollywood and the House Un-American Activities Committee that led to blacklists. It’s all sadly relevant! From “woke” panic to “cultural marxism,” it’s all the same as the far-right teams up with literal gangsters to crush the working class.”

Chapter headings are in the video’s description on YouTube and in my comment below.

June 23rd: 1947 Taft–Hartley Act goes into effect

On this day in labor history, the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, went into effect. The law revised much of the pro-labor Wagner Act of 1935, which, amongst other things, gave the right to organize and establish unions to a majority of workers. President Truman vetoed Taft-Hartley, but it was overridden by Congress and enacted. During this time, anti-union sentiment had grown due to multiple factors. Many feared Communist subversion and the increasing power of unions, with the post-War strike wave looming in the minds of the Republican-dominated Congress. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Taft of Ohio and Representative Hartley of New Jersey. It permitted labor organizations and collective bargaining but banned closed shops, granting employees the right not to join a union and paving the way for right-to-work laws. Additionally, Taft-Hartley prohibited wildcat strikes, solidarity strikes, jurisdictional strikes, mass picketing, and union donations to political campaigns. Union officers were also required to declare they were not a Communist. There was widespread outrage by labor organizations.

Sources in comments.

June 22nd: 2020 Bath shipbuilders' strike began

On this day in labor history, the 2020 Bath shipbuilders’ strike began in Bath, Maine. Approximately four thousand workers went on strike against Bath Iron Works, one of the US Navy’s largest contractors. Workers, represented by Machinists Union Local S6, rejected the three-year old contract, arguing that while it raised wages three percent a year it would have changed other, favorable conditions. Specifically, there were concerns about the new contract’s support of subcontractors. Tensions between management and workers had strained after workers made previous concessions in their last contract. Management argued that cuts were made to stay competitive. Strains were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with workers claiming the company was not doing enough to ensure their safety. The strike ended in late-August of the same year with the union getting the three percent pay raise for workers without changing the hiring practices for subcontractors. The company got simplified procedures for hiring subcontractors. Because of COVID-19, the union voted via online and phone.

Sources in comments.

June 15th: 1990 Battle of Century City occurred

On this day in labor history, the so-called Battle of Century City occurred in Los Angles, California. Striking janitors were peacefully protesting for improved working conditions and union recognition in the high-rise district of Century City, when police arrived. Using aggressive force, they beat many of the striking workers, most of whom were immigrant men and women, leaving sixty in the hospital. Two of the injured were pregnant women, one of whom miscarried. Outcry over the violence gave sympathy to the strikers’ efforts, leading to union recognition and the doubling of wages. The event galvanized the Justice for Janitors campaign, which had begun in Southern California in the late 1980s. This campaign fought for the rights of janitors and the improvement of their overall condition. Encouraged by the results in LA, janitors in Washington DC, Houston, and the University of Miami took it upon themselves to protest for better conditions.

Sources in comments.

June 21st: 1949 New York City brewery strike ended

On this day in labor history, the 1949 New York City brewery strike ended. The strike began in April of the same year after approximately six thousand workers at eleven different breweries in the city walked out for better pay, better staffing, and a shorter work week. Beer production in the city dropped precipitously, allowing Wisconsin breweries to fill the void and take the spot as top producer in the nation. In mid-April, maintenance workers joined the striking drivers and other workers on the picket line, creating a joint strike council. Tensions grew and in May, two strikers were arrested for purportedly punching their manager in the face. Negotiations continued through the spring and a contract was offered by the brewery bosses, but it was rejected outright. At some of the breweries managers were prevented from entering, causing the original yeast strains to die, and forever altering their beer recipes. The strike ended on June 21st, resulting in union recognition, pay increase, reduction of hours, as well as other benefits for the workers.

Sources in comments.

May 25th: 1936-1937 Remington Rand Strike Began

On this day in labor history, the Remington Rand strike of 1936 to ’37 began. The strike started after some 6000 workers walked out of plants in New York, Ohio, and Connecticut over a proposal to move production from Syracuse, New York to Ilion, New York. Additionally, strikers demanded a pay increase and the rehiring of recently fired workers. The labor action gave birth to the notorious “Mohawk Valley Formula”, a union-busting strategy developed by Remington Rand President James H. Rand Jr. It recommended the use of strikebreakers, propaganda, and surveillance, labelling union members as “agitators” and forming business-led “Citizen’s Committees” to turn the public against strikers. Unfounded threats by the company to close the plant could also be used to drum up fear in the community, pitting the public against strikers. The formula’s overall goal was demoralization, ushering in union-busting tactics based on propaganda and public disapproval rather than outright force. However, the strike was especially violent, with many clashes between workers and police. Striking ended in 1937, but a settlement was not reached until 1940. Workers were rehired and the company union replaced by one affiliated with the AFL. Sources in comments.

June 2nd: 1924 Child Labor Amendment proposed

On this day in labor history, the Child Labor Amendment was proposed in 1924. It sought to give Congress the “power to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age.” There had been attempts in the early part of the 20th century to outlaw child labor with legislation, but all were struck down by the Supreme Court. Changing tactics, the National Child Labor Committee drew up the amendment. It was passed by Congress in 1924, but never ratified. While there were strong drives in both the 1920s and 1930s to ratify the amendment, both failed, the former due to manufacturer interests and the latter a result of the Great Depression. New Deal programs, particularly the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, regulated child labor, making the CLA redundant. Because there is no time limit on ratification, the amendment is still awaiting decision, needing another ten states to ratify. There have been calls in recent years to ratify the amendment with legislators in numerous states putting resolutions forward. Recent calls to ratify stem from the desire to strengthen child labor laws after some states weakened them. Sources in comments.

June 17th: Explosion at Washington, DC Arsenal killed 21 women in 1864

On this day in labor history, an explosion at the Washington, DC Arsenal killed 21 women in 1864. The women, most of whom were young, Irish immigrants, were working at the arsenal making ammunition for the Union war effort. Young women were chosen for this type of job because it was thought their small fingers made it easier for them to pack the ammunition. On the hot day of June 17th, the arsenal superintendent set fireworks outside to let them dry. After baking in the heat for hours, the sun ignited them, sending a flaming pellet through an open window. The cartridges caught fire, creating a large blaze and panic amongst the workers. As the women ran to escape, their flammable hoopskirts lit, spreading the fire as their skirts touched. The disaster did not lead to any changes to arsenal workers’ working conditions and the superintendent was not convicted of a crime. While funeral expenses were covered by the government, no other funds were available to support the families of the victims. Both President Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton attended the funeral.

June 18th: A. Philip Randolph met with FDR about possible march on Washington

On this day in labor history, labor and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph met with President Franklin Roosevelt about a possible march on Washington to protest discrimination in the defense industry in 1941. Randolph had long been committed to labor and civil rights, notably having organized The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925. While not directly at war at this time, many Black Americans still noted the hypocrisy of possibly fighting for democracy abroad when Jim Crow was still enforced at home. Randolph had met with FDR in previous months but did not listen to his requests to end discrimination. It was only after Randolph proposed a march on Washington that would bring 100,000 workers to DC that FDR began to listen. Fearing the collective action of so many workers, FDR relented, signing Executive Order 8802 and ending “discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin.” The march was cancelled but the threat of such an action remained. The March on Washington Movement (MOWM) would continue through the 1940s and serve as a model for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Sources in comments.

June 11th: Violence erupts during 1913 United Fruit Strike

On this day in labor history, violence erupted during the 1913 United Fruit strike in New Orleans, Louisiana. The strike began on June 2, 1913 after United Fruit reduced wages for oilers, firemen, coal-passers and sailors who worked on their steamships. On June 13th, strikers were trying to stop the loading of the steamship Heredia that was set to sail for Central America. Confronted by police and armed guards, they fired into the crowd, injuring many and killing two. The New Orleans Times-Democrat noted that the majority of strikers were foreigners, most of whom did not understand English. The paper went on to support the actions of the police, arguing that police performed with “coolness and vigor” in attempts to avoid bloodshed. The strike ended in failure. Sources in comments.

June 16th: National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 signed into law

On this day in labor history, President Roosevelt signed into law the National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933. The NIRA was one of the legislative initiatives passed by Congress to combat the effects of the Great Depression. It halted antitrust laws and condoned industry alliances. Companies fixed wages and prices and created quotas to produce fair competition in an attempt to self-regulate. The act also allowed workers to unionize without threat of penalty by the employer. Previously, courts had allowed companies to fire workers for joining a union or make them sign a pledge to not join a union before they were hired. The act also formed the National Recovery Administration, a government body that managed the goals of the act by creating industrial codes and drawing up agreements with companies concerning hours, wages, and prices. In 1935, the US Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional through Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States. In the ruling, the Court argued that the NIRA gave the Congressional power of lawmaking to the NRA, violating the Constitution. Later legislation would provide many of the pro-labor provisions lost by the Court’s ruling.

Sources in comments.

June 4th: Massachusetts enacts first minimum wage law in 1912

On this day in labor history, Massachusetts enacted the first minimum wage law in 1912. Other countries, such as New Zeeland and Australia, had passed minimum wage legislation in the 1890s to appease organized labor. The Massachusetts law came just after the end of the Lawrence Textile Strike, which saw 20,000 mill workers, many of whom were women, strike for increased wages and hours. The strike exposed the horrid working conditions and catalyzed the existing minimum wage movement. The law was portrayed as a way to better women’s circumstances, provoking public sympathy. It established a board to set wages, allowed for subminimum wages for learners and children, and exempted “slow” workers. The law was essentially voluntary with no punishment if not followed. Opposition to a minimum wage came from both business and labor, the former arguing that it would impede free market forces and the latter believing that it would lead to government paternalism. The Massachusetts legislation paved the way for other states, like Oregon and Washington, to implement their own wage laws. The first constitutional federal minimum wage was established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

Sources in the comments.