On This Day in Working Class History

On this day, 21 April 1894, a nationwide strike of coal miners in the US against pay cuts began. Despite the United Mine Workers union having only 20,000 members, 145,000 miners walked out, and despite violent repression and facing starvation they held out for weeks and won some concessions. Many miners even rejected the union's settlement and held out for more but were eventually starved back to work. This is a history of the coal miners' struggles that year: https://libcom.org/history/us-coal-miners-strikes-1894-jeremy-brecherOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 20 April 1914, the Ludlow massacre took place when US troops opened fire with machine guns on a camp of striking miners and their families in Ludlow, Colorado. 12,000 miners had gone out on strike the previous September against the Rockefeller family-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation (CF&I) following the killing of an activist of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).They then demanded better safety at work, and to be paid in money, instead of company scrip (tokens which could only be redeemed in the company store).The Rockefellers evicted the striking miners and their families from their homes, and so they set up "tent cities" to live in collectively, which miners' wives helped run. Company thugs harassed strikers, and occasionally drove by camps riddling them with machine-gun fire, killing and injuring workers and their children.Eventually the national guard was ordered to evict all the strike encampments, and the morning of April 20 they attacked the largest camp in Ludlow. They opened fire with machine guns on the tents of the workers and their families, who then returned fire.The main organiser of the camp, Louis Tikas, went to visit the officer in charge of the national guard to arrange a truce. But he was beaten to the ground then shot repeatedly in the back, killing him. That night, troops entered the camp and set fire to it, killing 11 children and two women, in addition to 13 other people who were killed in the fighting. The youngest victim was Elvira Valdez, aged just 3 months.Protests against the massacre broke out across the country, but the workers at CF&I were defeated, and many of them were subsequently sacked and replaced with non-union miners. Over the course of the strike 66 people were killed, but no guardsmen or company thugs were prosecuted.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9243/ludlow-massacreOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 19 April 1968, while 6,000 textile workers were on strike against redundancies in Valdagno, northern Italy, scabs were sneaked into the factory under police protection. The workers were brutally charged by police leading to them fighting with the 1,000-strong police force, occupying the factory and toppling the bronze statue of the factory's founder, Count Gaetano Marzotto (an iconic moment, as Count Marzotto had until then had been widely depicted as an enlightened benefactor). 47 workers were arrested. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9064/valdagno-textile-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 18 April 1945, workers in Turin, Italy, walked out on strike in protest at Nazi German occupation. Workers and resistance fighters distributed leaflets the previous night calling for a walkout. On the morning of April 18, factories, workshops, shops, markets, schools, transport and postal and telephone services were all shut down.Some workers, like at Fiat Mirafiori, occupied their plants, while thousands of others took to the streets. A huge march went through Piazza Sabotino, headed by women carrying Italian flags and placards, calling on the fascists to surrender, and singing the "Red Flag".One eyewitness, Giorgio Amendola, reported: "What impressed me was the confidence of the crowd, the firm and serene courage and an air of celebration and joy, everyone was happy and seemed to be saying: you see how strong we are. The fascists did not show up. In fact, the whole neighborhood was in our hands".Just over a week later, on April 27, partisans entered the city and by the following day the last remaining fascist troops had fled.Learn more about the Italian resistance in our podcast episodes 77-80: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e77-80-italian-resistance/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 17 April 2016 thousands of oil workers in Kuwait walked out on strike against government plans for privatisation of parts of the oil industry, and a new payroll system which, workers claimed, would reduce salaries. The strike slashed oil production in the country in half, from 3 million barrels per day down to just 1.5 million.On April 20, workers eventually agreed to return to work "in respect for the emir and in loyalty to him", according to the Kuwait Oil Workers Union, while negotiations took place. The union claimed the strike had been "extremely successful", but it is unclear if they achieved any concessions.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7783/kuwait-oil-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 16 April 1970, a white foreman at a Chrysler plant in Detroit threatened to murder a Black worker. When the worker complained Chrysler went to sack the worker claiming he had a knife. Around 1,000 workers, Black and white, walked out on strike in protest, shutting the plant for an entire weekend until management backed down and reinstated him. Learn more in our podcast episodes 61-62, about Black workers organising in Detroit at that time. Available wherever you get your podcasts, or on our website: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/08/28/e12-the-league-of-revolutionary-black-workers-in-detroit/Pictured: Black workers protest in Detroit around this timeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 15 April 1916, the newspaper of the revolutionary Industrial Workers of the World union announced the formation of its Domestic Workers Union in Denver, Colorado. Much of the history of the group was lost, but a fascinating letter by Jane Street, its secretary, was illegally seized by the Justice Department in 1917 and only discovered nearly 60 years later.She was writing to another domestic worker organiser in Tulsa, Oklahoma in which she described how they organised and took action to improve pay and conditions:"if you want to raise a job from $20 to $30. . . you can have a dozen girls answer an ad and demand $30—even if they do not want work at all. Or call up the woman and tell her you will accept the position at $20. Then she will not run her ad the next day. Don't go. Call up the next day and ask for $25 and promise to go (and don't go). On the third day she will say, 'Come on out and we will talk the matter over.' You can get not only the wages, but shortened hours and lightened labor as well."More information in our podcast episode 16 about women in the early IWW: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/12/02/e16-women-in-the-early-iww/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 14 April 1913, workers across Belgium went on strike, after the failure of Parliament to introduce universal male suffrage, the strike, in which 700,000 workers participated, were not only able to bring many national industries to standstill but also force Parliament to immediately reconvene.Suffrage would be granted only after World War I, but the general strike of 1913 proved to be a significant victory for the socialist movement.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8018/belgian-general-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 13 April 1890, Black dock worker and leading Industrial Workers of the World union activist, Ben Fletcher, was born in Philadelphia. Starting work on the docks in 1910, he joined the revolutionary IWW union three years later and became the lead organiser of its Local 8 on the Philadelphia docks. At a time when most unions were racially segregated, Fletcher helped build a powerful, multiracial workers' organisation which organised a strike in 1913 and won many improvements.In 1918, after the entry of the US into World War I, Fletcher was arrested and charged with dozens of other IWW members for supposedly hampering the war effort. Despite there being no witnesses to testify against Fletcher, he and all the others were convicted. Fletcher was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, after which he quipped to fellow defendant Big Bill Haywood: "The Judge has been using very ungrammatical language." When Hayward asked him "How is that, Ben?" Fletcher replied: ‘His sentences are much too long.'” His sentence was commuted in 1922, and he immediately returned to Philadelphia to take part in a strike for a maximum 40 hour work week.Learn more about his life and activism in episodes 73-74 of our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e73-ben-fletcher/And you can find out even more in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/ben-fletcher-the-life-and-times-of-a-black-wobbly-peter-coleOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 12 April 1920, workers in Ireland launched a general strike in support of pro-independence prisoners who were on hunger strike in Mountjoy prison, Dublin. The postal service, public transport, shops, pubs and public toilets were all shut. After two days, the British government caved and released all the prisoners. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8363/ireland-general-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 11 April 1960, the body of a young activist, Kim Ju-yul, was found on the beach in Masan, South Korea. The young high school student had disappeared during a protest the previous month against electoral corruption under the US-backed Rhee dictatorship. Authorities declared that his autopsy showed he had died by drowning, but protesters forced their way into the hospital where his body was being held and discovered that Kim's skull had been split by a teargas grenade which had penetrated from his eyes to the back of his head. Anger at the murder exploded across the country the following week in what became known as the April revolution which overthrew the regime. Learn more about South Korean history at this time in our podcast episode 51: https://workingclasshistory.com/2021/03/24/e51-jeon-tae-il-and-lee-so-sun/ Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 10 April 1911, a general strike erupted in Lima, Peru bringing business and transport to a standstill. The stoppage broke out in support of a walkout of 500 workers at a US-owned cotton mill the previous month who were demanding better pay, the abolition of the night shift and a reduction of the working day from 13 to 10 hours. Faced with a general strike, the president intervened and forced the mill to agree to the workers' demands. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8164/general-strike-in-limaOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 9 April 1946, Palestinian Arab and Jewish workers at the Tel Aviv post office walked out on strike. The next day, they were joined by postal workers across all of Palestine in what would soon develop into a general strike of blue and white-collar public sector workers.In response to the postal workers' strike, employers quickly made far-reaching concessions, which the Histadrut (the Jewish union federation) recommended employees accept. However, rank-and-file postal workers voted to reject the offer and continue their strike.On 14 April, Arab and Jewish railway workers joined the strike, paralysing the country's rail system. Middle and lower-level white collar government employees also joined the strike so that, by 15 April, 23,000 workers were on strike across the country. It also seemed that oil workers would join the strike, but this was opposed by the Histadrut on the basis that it would harm the broader Zionist project.Despite this, by the end of April workers had won a number of concessions: a increase in wages and cost-of-living adjustments, and improvements to the pension system. Palestinian Arab and Jewish communists declared the strike "a blow against the 'divide and rule' policy of imperialism, a slap in the face of those who hold chauvinist ideologies and propagate national division."However, the strike would prove to be a one-off as worker solidarity gave way to ethnic cleansing and the Nakba.Learn more in episodes 86-87 of our podcast, about class struggle in Palestine: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e86-87-class-struggle-in-palestine/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 8 April 2019 protests began in Gabon against government proposals to reduce access to student grants. Many university students were entitled to grants of around 83,000 CFA francs per month, and 65% of its recipients were aged 20 or over. The government planned to set 19 as the maximum age, as well as require high marks in examinations to be eligible.High school and university students in the capital Libreville and elsewhere walked out of class and took to the streets, and there were some scuffles with police. One participant, Samantha, told a journalist that she found the "reform particularly unfair to the working classes". In response, the government shut down all schools in the country. Protests continued for three days until the government backtracked and agreed not to implement the changes.Gabon had accepted a loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2017, a condition of which was that the government had to reduce public spending.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7987/gabon-student-protestsOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 7 April 2010, 800 Carlsberg factory workers in Copenhagen, Denmark, walked out on strike in protest at new management policies to restrict beer drinking at work. The company's truck drivers joined the strike in sympathy. The previous week, Carlsberg removed beer coolers from the factory floor, which contained free beer for workers to drink throughout the day. Instead they declared that workers would only be allowed to drink beer in the canteen at lunch hour. The strike lasted for five days but ended in defeat. However the following month workers walked out again for a pay increase. This is an article about the strike from the time: https://libcom.org/news/carlsberg-workers-walk-job-retain-right-drink-beer-work-09042010 The workers may have been unknowingly continuing a tradition from a century before in the US when many workers prepared to strike against prohibition, declaring "no beer, no work", with design we have reproduced to help fund our work: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/no-beer-no-workOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 6 April 1712, a major rebellion of enslaved people in North America took place in New York City.The enslaved people set fire to a building on Maiden Lane, near Broadway and, as the colonists tried to put out the blaze, the rebels attacked them with guns, hatchets and swords, killing nine and injuring six. They then made their escape to the north, which was as yet undeveloped. Militia and armed colonists then went on the hunt for the rebels. Six rebels died by suicide to avoid capture, and 40 put on trial. 18 were acquitted and others pardoned, but the remainder were brutally executed. Some were crushed to death, others were burned alive, some were hanged and others starved to death.In the wake of the revolt, stricter laws were established to try to discourage future rebellions, including restrictions on direct communication between enslaved people, a ban on their possessing firearms, and harsher punishments.Learn more about slavery and rebellions against it in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/a-history-of-pan-african-revolt-c-l-r-jamesOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 5 April 1977, US disability rights activists and organisers stormed and occupied the offices of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle, demanding the enactment of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This was a crucial piece of disability civil rights legislation that had been passed 4 years earlier, which mandated that no federally funded programs could exclude persons with disabilities.Despite the Act's passage, the federal government, under the leadership of HEW director Joseph Califano, had been delaying their directive to create regulations which would operationalise the legislation. During that time regulations had been weakened in favour of business interests, under the guidance of an HEW task force which included no persons with disabilities. In response disability rights activists across the US formed the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities (ACCD), who began organising the sit-ins.Most notably, in San Francisco, disabled rights activists Judith Heumann, Kitty Cone, and Mary Jane Owen successfully organised approximately 150 disabled activists, and their supporters, in a 25 day occupation of the US Federal Building. This action was supported through a solidarity network which included the Black Panthers providing meals, allied politicians sending mattresses and bedding, and the International Association of Machinists, who helped to transport protestors, wheelchairs. and other equipment, and facilitated the transport for a delegation to Washington.The regulations for section 504 were signed into law on 28 April, 1977.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12535/504-sit-inOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 4 April 1886 Rev Newman Smith, pastor of the Centre Congregational Church in New Haven, Connecticut, delivered a lecture at the Labor Lyceum in the city where he condemned strikes.According to the New York Times, New Haven at the time had "picked up the reputation lately of having more strikes than any other city of its size in the country". Business owners, and the media, were uniting to fight against the Knights of Labor and other organisations of workers trying to achieve better pay and safer working conditions.Rev Smith, while he said he supported the right to strike, claimed that strikes "killed the goose that lays the golden eggs." He also argued that strikers should not try to prevent scab replacement workers from working, arguing that "if 70 men in any community say they won't work in a certain way and the seventy-first man shan't work at all if not with them, the public will stand by the seventy-first man every time."        More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7950/pastor-condemns-strikesOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 3 April 1967 construction firm Myton, assisted by the police and the construction workers' union National Federation of Building Trades Operatives, attempted to bring in a scab workforce to replace unofficial strikers who were demanding reinstatement of victimised worker activists on the Barbican site in London. The strikers had been out for 6 months, and were threatened with expulsion from their union (which would also cost them jobs in closed shop sites). A union official who tried to support the workers was sacked by the union. Still the workers held out for over 7 more months against the employers, the unions and the police but were eventually forced to give in. More information and sources: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10152/myton-buses-in-barbican-scabsOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 2 April 1863, a group of women, having been refused an audience with the governor John Letcher, took to the streets of Richmond, Virginia to protest food shortages, hoarding, and the spiralling inflation in the Confederate capital. The march soon turned into a riot with government warehouses, grocery stores, and commercial establishments attacked and raided. Chants of “bread or blood” and “we celebrate our right to live — we are starving!” were reported by various eyewitnesses. Troops, deployed by the authorities, then threatened to fire upon the protestors, causing them to disperse, and over sixty women and men were arrested and tried for their participation in the riot.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9152/richmond-bread-riotOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 1 April 1949, 6,000 workers in 11 breweries in New York City walked out on strike for a pay increase, better staffing and a 35 hour working week instead of 40. The strike lasted 2 1/2 months, and massively slashed beer production in New York, previously the capital of the production in the country, causing Wisconsin to overtake it. The drought of local brew meant that beers from the Midwestern United States managed to penetrate the market for the first time, with Blatz becoming briefly popular. They eventually won most of their demands, and a reduced working week of 37 1/2 hours.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8037/new-york-brewery-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 31 March 2009, around 40 workers in the Caterpillar factory in Grenoble, France stormed their bosses' offices and kept four of them hostage, demanding better severance packages for workers being laid off. Over 700 French Caterpillar workers were being made redundant. The action was successful, and the company increased its pot of redundancy money by €1.5 million: leading to an average payout of €80,000 per worker. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10383/caterpillar-bossnappingOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 30 March 1976, a general strike and mass protests were launched in Palestine and by Palestinian citizens of Israel in protest at the Israeli government seizing large amounts of land owned by Palestinians in Galilee in order to construct Jewish settlements and military facilities. A solidarity strike took place in most Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. There were widespread clashes with security forces, and six unarmed demonstrators were shot by police and the military, with around 100 people wounded and hundreds of others arrested. The protests, and anger at the repression galvanised a sense of Palestinian solidarity in the area, and sparked greater agitation for Palestinian rights. While the expropriation plan was successful in proportionately reducing the Arab population of Galilee from 92% down to 72%, significant expropriations of land in the area largely ceased in the 1980s. 30 March is now commemorated annually in Palestine and by Palestinians in Israel as Land Day with demonstrations and general strikes. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10311/general-strike-in-palestineOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 29 March 1963, 150 sawmill workers at Peak Timber in what is now Eswatini went on strike demanding more pay.A further strike erupted at the mill on May 28, when 300 workers at the mill went on strike for a few hours in protest against the retrenchment of five workers after a small part of the plant was closed.There was further unrest on June 17, when workers gathered in support of a strike of workers at the nearby Havelock mine, after which 63 workers were arrested.Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 28 March 1919, the state of Arkansas joined the majority of other US states in introducing a law prohibiting anarchism and communism. The law, to "define and punish anarchy and… Bolshevism" barred any "attempt to overthrow [the] present form of government of the State of Arkansas or the United States" and "exhibit[ing] any flag, etc, which is calculated to overthrow present form of government." Violations of the law could incur fines of up to $1,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 27 March 1974 a strike began on Christmas Island, an Australian colony essentially run by the British Phosphate Commissioners (BPC), a phosphate mining company. The firm employed mostly Asian workers from Singapore, Malaysia and China, who were low-paid and housed in inadequate accommodation, and European workers who were paid five times as much as Asians and had better quality housing and schools.The catalyst for the strike was the sacking of an interpreter, Teo Boon How, on March 26, who was due to be deported the next day. In his support, over 1100 Asian workers took to the streets instead of going to work, forcing BPC to reinstate How.The following year, How helped establish a secret union, the Union of Christmas Island Workers (UCIW), which would organise further strikes.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7925/christmas-island-dismissal-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 26 March 1915, police in Sioux City, Iowa, arrested 14 members of the revolutionary Industrial Workers of the World union for holding street meetings in an attempt to drive the union out of town. The IWW had begun a free speech fight to defend its right to organise. Members responded to a call and flocked to the town, holding street meetings to get arrested and flood the jails. When these 14 defendants were arrested, they refused to cooperate in court and jail, and when set to work on a rock pile they went on strike and set fires in their cells, and more militants kept arriving. By late April the police caved and agreed to free speech for the IWW. Learn more about the union and its free speech fights at this time in our podcast episode 6: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/05/23/wch-e6-the-industrial-workers-of-the-world-in-the-us-1905-1918/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 25 March 2008 two Chinese construction workers were killed and at least four injured during a strike in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea.Workers employed by Jianyu Overseas Development, a subsidiary of the Wheihai group, working on infrastructure projects, went on strike a few days prior. Guinean troops arrived, stormed workers' dormitories, made several arrests and attempted to force strikers back to work.When the workers refused, soldiers opened fire, killing and injuring several, and then arrested around 100 workers. Hundreds of workers were subsequently sent back to China, where they were also censured by the Chinese government.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7909/mongomo-construction-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 24 March 2008 around 8000 workers at the Dacia-Renault factory in Romania launched an indefinite strike demanding pay increases of 50-70%. It was the biggest private sector strike in the country since the overthrow of the state socialist government in 1989. And for the first time in the country, workers based their pay demands not on Romanian salaries but on salaries of Renault workers in Turkey or France, who earned €900-2000 per month, compared with only €300 in Romania.The strike ended on April 11, when union leaders announced that employers had agreed to a package of concessions equating to a pay increase of roughly 30-40%.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7896/dacia-renault-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 23 March 1944, the most significant attack on Nazi occupation forces by the Italian partisan resistance took place on Via Rasella in Rome. Around a dozen members of the communist-led partisan Patriotic Action Group (GAP) attacked an SS company of over 150 ethnic Germans, which was tasked with fighting the resistance. The partisans detonated a home-made bomb then opened fire with hand-thrown mortar bombs, handgrenades and guns before vanishing. The resistance unit suffered no casualties, while over 30 SS members were killed and over 100 wounded. Unable to capture those responsible, the following day the enraged Nazis massacred 335 people, some of whom had been arrested for resistance activities but most of whom were unrelated civilians.Learn more about the Italian resistance in our podcast episodes 77-80: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e77-80-italian-resistance/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 22 March 1986, thousands of striking workers from US military bases in the Philippines blockaded the gates of US navy and air force bases near Manila. Violence also broke out in many locations, as over 20,000 striking workers pursuing better severance built barricades and clashed with US service personnel attempting to cross the picket lines. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

Mini podcast episode about this date in history, 21 March 1991, when the abolition of the poll tax in the UK was announced, following a mass non-payment campaign and widespread rioting. The hated tax, introduced by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, charged the working class the same as the rich as there was a charge for every individual in a household. Despite the defeat of the working class movement in Britain in the 1980s, people up and down the country self-organised an unprecedented campaign which resulted in over 17 million people refusing to pay, with thousands of people clogging the country's court system. First, the movement brought down Thatcher herself, leading to her resignation in November 1990. The new government then announced the abolition of the tax. It was later replaced by the council tax, which charged rates based on house value. Learn about the movement against the poll tax in episodes 110-111 of our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e110-111-poll-tax-revolt/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 20 March 2013 workers for the Azores-based SATA airline (now renamed Azores Airlines) and TAP Air Portugal called off a three-day strike which was scheduled for the following day.7000 workers including pilots and support staff were due to walk out in protest against scheduled pay cuts of between 3.5 and 10%.The strike was cancelled, when according to union officials, management agreed to all of the workers' demands.Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 19 March 1968, more than 1,000 students at the historically Black Howard University began an occupation of the administration building that shut down the school.  The protests were spurred by the planned expulsion of 37 fellow activists and went on to demand student involvement in disciplinary procedures, a more developed African-American studies curriculum, and the resignation of the university president. After four days, the takeover ended with the administration granting all but the resignation.More: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9122/howard-university-occupationOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 18 March 1834 the British Tolpuddle martyrs — James Brine, James Hammett, George Loveless, James Loveless, John Standfield, and Thomas Standfield — were sentenced to 7 years' transportation to Australia for attempting to organise a union. They had been trying to fight pay cuts for agricultural workers, but were shipped to Australia in appalling conditions. However the draconian sentences provoked a public outcry, and a mass campaign in their support eventually forced the King to pardon them. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9015/tolpuddle-martyrs-sentencedOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 17 March 1916, around half of the 12,000 women working at the Armstrong-Whitworth Elswick munitions factory in Newcastle went on strike for better pay. It was the biggest strike by women arms workers during World War I to date. Authorities were taken aback by the women's "great determination and cohesion", and a Ministry of Munitions' wage tribunal was swiftly held and resolved in the workers' favour, awarding all workers a pay increase on 24 March. In the aftermath of the action, Elswick hired a "welfare supervisor", along with 40 assistants, whose job was to try to break up organisation of women workers' at the plant. The supervisor, Miss Jayne, took over all hiring and supervision of women workers, and used more middle-class and "educated" women like former teachers and university graduates to supervise the unruly workers. However, the measures had limited success as the confidence of the workers had been massively increased, and they began threatening strike action on future occasions to improve their conditions. In 1917 the women walked out en masse once more winning union recognition, tea breaks and new toilets amongst other things. Numerous other employers in Britain also recruited "welfare supervisors" at the same time to try to stop strikes by women workers, although after the war ended and many women were pushed out of the workforce once more the practice stopped.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8905/armstrong-whitworth-women-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 16 March 1978 the Beyazıt massacre took place in Istanbul when seven students were killed and 41 injured at the University of Istanbul. The bomb attack targeted left-wing students. The police had been informed in advance by an intelligence officer that a bomb attack on students exiting the university was planned by right-wing nationalists, but they failed to act.An investigation into the killings was opened but later closed due to lack of evidence. The case was reopened in 1995 but dropped after prosecutors claimed the statute of limitations had passed. However, this decision was criticised by Turkey's justice minister in 2010 who stated that the prosecutors and judges responsible would be punished. More: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7778/beyaz%C4%B1t-massacreOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 15 March 2018 hundreds of civil servants in Andorra went on strike for the first time since 1933 in protest at proposals to reform public sector pay and conditions. In particular, the workers wanted to defend their 35 hour working week and level of pay.80% of teachers in the principality took part in the strike, and in total around 400 workers out of 3000 total civil servants participated, including customs officers, police and prison workers. Strikers took to the streets, protested outside parliament and occupied the main government administrative building.The strike lasted at least two days but it is not clear how it was resolved.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7764/andorra-civil-servants-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 14 March 1970, two sailors aboard the SS Columbia Eagle, carrying 10,000 tons of napalm for the US military in Vietnam, mutinied in protest at the war. Al Glatkowski and Clyde McKay had smuggled guns onto the ship which they used to hijack it and sail it to neutral Cambodia. But they never could have guessed what would happen next, as they became embroiled in a complex series of world events over which they would have no control. We spoke to Al for a podcast miniseries about the events, and this is how he recounted the start of the mutiny: "When we got the guns out to clean them, I got up and I told Clyde, 'I'll be right back. I'm going to go to the bathroom before we do this.' I looked in the mirror and I said to myself, 'You may not live through this. These may be your last few minutes.' "I will never ever be able to see or look my children in the face when they ask me, ''What did you do to stop the war, Dad?'' You will be able to say that you did your duty to stop it. You did your best to stop it.' I walked around, turned around, went out the door, got the gun and said, 'Let's move.'" Listen to Al tell his and Clyde's incredible story in our podcast episodes 21-24. Find them on every major podcast app or on our website: https://workingclasshistory.com/2019/04/09/wch-crime-columbia-eagle-mutiny/ Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On 13 March 1920, in Germany, just hours after the far-right Kapp Putsch began and the Social Democratic government called for a general strike, workers in Sömmerda, Germany – many of whom were members of the anarchist Free Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD) – took control of their town. They formed an executive committee of 40 workers, disarmed the town guard, arrested the reactionary mayor, and formed a workers' militia. The putsch fell apart on March 17, the Social Democratic government asked for the end of the general strike on 20 March, and, after backdoor deals, the trade unions along with the Independent Social Democratic Party and Communist Party joined in calling the general strike officially over on March 22. The workers in Sömmerda wouldn't give up their control, so on March 24 a detachment of troops, containing many of those who had just attempted to overthrow the government a week earlier, was sent to take back the town. In the repression, around 23 workers ended up dead and 180 were imprisoned. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8496/s%C3%B6mmerda-communeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 12 March 1951, following a successful campaign against transport price rises, 300,000 workers took part in a general strike in Barcelona and nearby cities to protest against the right-wing dictatorship of general Francisco Franco. Despite the mobilisation of thousands of police and civil guards, the strikers held out for two weeks while the government, terrified of the prospect of further unrest, released the vast majority of those arrested and paid full wages to those workers who had been on strike. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8417/barcelona-general-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 11 March 1975, there was an attempted far right coup in Portugal, known as the March 11 Intentona. This happened in the context of the revolutionary period that Portugal which began with the fall of the right-wing dictatorship on 25 April 1974. After the resignation of president António Spínola in September 1974, a left-wing government took power headed by prime minister and Communist Party-sympathiser, Vasco Gonçalves. Seeking to reverse the growing radicalisation of the revolution, Spínola led an attempted military coup, which failed due to the massive popular support of the MFA (movement of the armed forces — a movement of soldiers and junior officers that overthrew the dictatorship) and forced him to flee to Francisco Franco's dictatorship in Spain. In the cars of the Spinolist officers, massive amounts of money and cheques were found, signed by Espirito Santo (bankers of BES) and António Champalimaud, the richest man in Portugal at the time, with a fortune of around 9 billion euro (in 2020 equivalent), half of the Portuguese GDP in 1974. This counterrevolutionary threat, financed by the Portuguese capitalist class and supported by the Spanish and Brazilian military dictatorships, further spurred the revolution. Workplace and land takeovers accelerated under the slogan "land to those who work on it" and compelled Vasco Gonçalves, in cooperation with unions and the workers, to order the nationalisation of almost 70% of the Portuguese economy, including the financial empires of the Espirito Santo and Champalimaud families, who fled to Brazil where they also possessed vast wealth. During the attempted coup one soldier died and 15 people were injured during the bombing of a military garrison near the Lisbon airport. Learn more about the Portuguese revolution in our podcast episodes 41-42. Find them on every major podcast app or our website: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/08/13/e41-42-the-portuguese-revolution/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 10 March 1920, the El Bordo mine fire occurred in Pachuca, Mexico, which killed dozens of miners. The fire broke out at 6 AM, and there was a brief evacuation period before the mine shafts were sealed shut. Officials of the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company claimed that after the evacuation fewer than 10 workers remained inside, all of whom were declared to be dead by company doctors. When the mine was finally reopened six days later, it was clear that the company had been lying. Inside were the charred bodies of 87 miners: many of whom had reached the exit of the mine, but were burned to death as they were unable to leave. Miraculously, seven miners had even managed to survive despite being trapped underground. As in almost all historical examples of corporations killing their workers, no bosses were prosecuted or punished.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8217/el-bordo-fireOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 9 March 2020, tens of thousands of women across Mexico went on strike in protest at gender-based violence which kills thousands of women each year in the country.Transport, banking, education and retail were amongst the industries affected by women either staying at home or taking to the streets, under the slogan "Un Día Sin Nosotras" ("A Day without Us").One worker, Isaura Miranda, a biologist, told the New York Times why she took part: “I just realised I had to do something… I can't carry on with this feeling of rage and impotence over so many deaths that are cruel, without dignity… Also, I don't want my daughter to go out one day and never come back again."Support for the action was so widespread that many large corporations and government departments were pressured into agreeing not to discipline women who took part in the action.Mexico's left-wing president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, blamed "past neoliberal policies" for endemic violence against women, 10 of whom are murdered each day, and accused right-wing opponents of helping organise the strike.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10925/mexico-women's-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 8 March 1922, seamen in Hong Kong and Canton (now Guangzhou) won pay rises of 15-30%, ending their strike which began in January. The British colonial government had declared the strike illegal, brought in the army and tried to use scabs from the Chinese mainland, and forced labour to break the strike. But the strike spread, was joined by rail workers, dockers, cooks and servants, and workers set up an armed militia to blockade food to the island by rail or sea. Eventually bosses were forced to cave in. They did not agree to a union shop, but they gave substantial pay rises, legalised the Seaman's Union, freed imprisoned strike leaders and back paid half pay to workers for the strike days. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10828/hong-kong-seamen's-strike-endsOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 7 March 1962, bagel bakers in New York City and Nassau county won a month-long strike for better conditions. Members of the bagel bakers union Local 338 voted to accept a deal granting their demand for an additional week's paid vacation, three more paid holidays and better wages.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10729/bagel-bakers-win-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 6 March 1974, UK coal miners called off their four-week strike after accepting a 35% pay offer in a massive victory, which had already brought down the Conservative government.The Conservatives had introduced regulation to limit pay increases to 7%, at a time when inflation was between 9 and 10%, and miners' basic pay was unable to cover the cost of living without adding considerable overtime hours. In November miners launched an overtime ban, after which the government implemented a three day week, restricting the functioning of industry and introducing rolling power cuts, in order to conserve coal to be able to withstand a potential strike. The government offered a pay increase of 16.5%, but this was rejected by the miners. When the National Union of Mineworkers launched a ballot for strike action, the Conservatives called a general election under the slogan "Who governs the country?" Meaning was that the government, or the unions. After the strike began, the Conservatives then lost the election, and the pay board recommended a 29% pay increase. The new Labour government agreed to implement a deal equating to a 35% increase, and the strike ended. The Trades Union Congress promised the government that it would not support strikes by other workers to achieve similar pay increases, and that union leaders would use their influence to reduce workers' pay demands.Learn more about the dispute in our podcast episode 81: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e81-miners-strikes-1972-4/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 5 March 1984, the great UK miners' strike began when miners at Cortonwood colliery walked out in response to the Conservative government's announcement of a pit closure plan. Some other pits were already on strike in other disputes, but the strikes against closures spread across Yorkshire, and four days later the National Union of Mineworkers called a national strike, which was joined by a majority of miners around the country.Women, many of them miners' wives, played a crucial role in supporting the strike, helping the workers to remain out for nearly a year.Prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her government were determined to break the power of workers' organisations and push through mass privatisation and free market reforms. They had learned from their previous defeats in miners' strikes in 1972 and 1974. They built up coal stocks, so they could withstand a long strike, and then deliberately provoked the strike by announcing the closure plan in spring when coal was in less demand than during the cold winter months. The defeat of the miners, who had been the most well-organised and most militant group of workers in Britain, marked a decisive turning point in the balance of power between workers and employers in the country. It eventually led to the much more atomised and individualised nature of the working class in Britain today.Learn more in our podcast series about the dispute. Episode 13 is about women in the strike, episodes 27-29 are about LGBT+ people during the strike, and episode 81 is about the miners' strikes in 1972 and 1974. Episodes about the strike itself are coming soon: https://workingclasshistory.com/tag/1984-5-miners-strike/Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 4 March 1947 workers at the Biratnagar Jute Mill in Nepal went on strike demanding better pay and union recognition, among other things.The ruling Rana dynasty sent troops to the town, who arrested strike leaders and put an end to the strike. But the Nepali Congress then organised a nationwide civil disobedience movement demanding the release of the strikers and all political prisoners, as well as the establishment of civil rights.By May, the Prime Minister announced moves to begin enabling people outside the Rana family to enter the government. In August the remaining prisoners were eventually released after a request by Mohandas Gandhi.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7957/biratnagar-jute-mill-strikeOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

On this day, 3 March 1921, a workers' uprising began in Labin, Croatia, by a multinational group of around 2,000 miners. The miners were a mixture of Croatians, Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles, Czechs, Italians, Germans and Slovenians. On March 1, Italian fascists attacked and badly beat Giovanni Pipano, a miners' union leader. When his colleagues found out they were furious, and called a meeting for March 3. They decided to occupy their mine, declaring: “Kova je naša” ("the mine is ours"). Peasants came to support them, and the rebels organised armed detachments of Red Guards to maintain order. On March 7, the workers declared a Republic, raised a red hammer and sickle flag, and made decisions through mass assemblies, with every nationality represented. They drew up a list of demands to present to their employer, Societa Arsia, including a demand of a pay increase. When bosses refused, on March 21 the workers restarted production under their own control. On April 8, around 1000 troops and police officers attacked the mine, and while the miners put up a spirited defence, with their lack of arms and training they were eventually forced to surrender. Two miners, Massimiliano Ortar and Adalbert Sykora, were killed and dozens arrested. 52 workers were later put on trial for charges including establishment of a soviet regime, possession of explosives and more. But because the miners refused to testify against one another, and because of their support from the local population, none were convicted.This uprising is commemorated by our March T-Shirt of the Month, made under workers' control by a cooperative, supporting grassroots unions in South Asia. Available here with global shipping: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/t-shirt-of-the-month-the-mine-is-oursOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History

Mini podcast about this day in history, 2 March 2016, when Honduran Indigenous environmental activist Berta Cáceres was assassinated in her home. Of Lenca descent, she co-founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), and was a leading participant in defending Lenca land from illegal logging and US military bases. She was also an advocate for LGBT+ and women's rights, and believed that: “Mother Earth – militarized, fenced-in, poisoned, a place where basic rights are systematically violated – demands that we take action.” At the time of her murder, Cáceres was heavily in Indigenous protests against hydroelectric dams being constructed by energy company DESA alongside Chinese firm Sinohydro and the World Bank. Several members of COPINH were killed by the Honduran military and company security during protests, which eventually forced Sinohydro and the World Bank to withdraw from the project. Cáceres was eventually shot dead in her home. A Mexican environmentalist, Gustavo Castro Soto, was also shot twice but survived. Nine men were later arrested and charged for the murder. They included the executive president of DESA, who was also a former military intelligence officer, as well as three other current or retired military officers, two of whom had been trained by the US military at the notorious School of the Americas. Eight were subsequently convicted and jailed, including the DESA president.Learn more about Cáceres' life and murder in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/who-killed-berta-caceres-nina-lakhaniOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History