American Bloody Labor History - Never Forget - CWA Local 1103

[WillyT]

American Bloody Labor History - Never Forget
CWA Local 1103
Posted On: Nov 06, 2010 (11:35:19)



<snip>

American Labor History is penned with bloody ink. Even considering Labor’s crowning political/legislative achievement: the 1935 the National Labor Relations Act (wagner act) we still battle to this very Labor Day to hold on to our decent wages and benefits. Today employers do not point guns at us or beat us in the streets, today Corporate America uses its billions of dollars of profits from the work of our backs to influence the political process to undermine our livelihood.

This Labor Day take a moment to look back on our bloody history, and know we must be ever diligent everyday to fight for our rights – on the Picket Line, on the Shop Floor and at the Ballot Box. Vote for CWA endorsed candidates, protect our jobs for the future and never go back to our bloody past.

1800 – Strikers found guilty of conspiracy by acting collectively to raise wages. (Commonweath v Pullis)

1850 – Militia turn on railroad strikers in Portge NY. 2 strikers killed many injured

1870 - Tompkins Square Riot NYC, Mounted police charge unemployed men, women and children demonstrating in park beating them with Billy clubs

Battle of Viaduct - The Great Railroad Strike was a general strike to protest cut in wages in which federal troops were called in 30 workers were killed during the protest.

1885 – Ten Coal mining activists are hung in Pennsylvania (Molly Maguires)

1886 – Great Southwest Railroad Strike pinkerton detectives called in to beat strikers. Missouri and Texas bring in State Militia.

Bay View Tragedy – 2000 workers in Milwaukee Wisconsin strike to denounce the ten-hour workday they are fired on by troops.

1887 – Louisiana Militia shot down 35 unarmed black sugar workers striking for a dollar a day wage.

1892 – Homestead strike pinkerton guards open fire on Carnegie Mill Steel strikers in Pennsylvania

<snip>

Much More: http://www.cwa1103.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=180986&page=Bulletin20Board

:patriot:



:kick:

[Drahthaardogs]

1. I am a grandson of Ludlow!!!

My grandfather fought there. Southern Colorado will never forget!

[WillyT]

2. Never Forget

1914 Ludlow Massacre, state militia attacks Union tent camp with machine guns and sets afire killing 19 including children.

:patriot:

:hi:

[Lasher]

3. They forgot the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain

I contacted them at the CWA website to point this out.

[WillyT]

4. Good Point... I Hope They Add That...

First time Americans bombed, from airplanes, other Americans.

:shrug:

:hi:

:kick:

[WillyT]

5. More:

The Battle of Blair Mountain was one of the biggest civil uprisings in United States history and the largest armed insurrection since the American Civil War.<1> For five days in late August and early September 1921, in Logan County, West Virginia, between 10,000 and 15,000 coal miners confronted an army of police and strikebreakers backed by coal operators during a struggle by the miners to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields. Their struggle ended only after approximately one million rounds were fired,<2> and the United States Army intervened by presidential order.


Sheriff's deputies during the battle

By August 29, battle was fully joined. Chafin's men, though outnumbered, had the advantage of higher positions and better weaponry. Private planes were hired to drop homemade bombs on the miners. A combination of gas and explosive bombs left over from the fighting in World War I were dropped in several locations near the towns of Jeffery, Sharples and Blair. At least one did not explode and was recovered by the miners; it was used months later to great effect during treason and murder trials following the battle.


A group of miners display one of
the bombs dropped by Chafin's airplanes.

On orders from the famous General Billy Mitchell, Army bombers from Maryland were also used for aerial surveillance, a rare example of Air Power being used by the federal government against US citizens. One Martin bomber crashed on the return flight, killing the three members of the crew.<35><36> Sporadic gun battles continued for a week, with the miners at one time nearly breaking through to the town of Logan and their target destinations, the non-unionized counties to the south, Logan and Mingo. Up to 30 deaths were reported by Chafin’s side and 50-100 on the union miners side, with many hundreds more injured. By September 2, federal troops had arrived. Realizing he would lose a lot of good miners if the battle continued with the military, union leader Bill Blizzard passed the word for the miners to start heading home the following day. Miners fearing jail and confiscation of their guns found clever ways to hide rifles and hand guns in the woods before leaving Logan County. Collectors and researchers to this day are still finding weapons and ammunition embedded in old trees and in rock crevices. Thousands of spent and live cartridges have made it into private collections.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain

:kick:

[WillyT]

6. Kick !!!

:kick:

[WillyT]

7. Kick !!!

:kick: