🧵 This Labor Day, let's remember that it's about the victories of the working class over the capital class that would send National Guard to shoot striking workers who dared to ask for safer conditions, decent work hours, and support in sickness and old age. Capital would rather you forgot. 👇🏻1/12
Like in 1877 when railroad workers in West Virginia and other states shut down the rail lines, and even sparked general strikes, so the companies and local, state, and federal government sent private militias, cops, and National Guard to just shoot them. www.history.com/articles/187... 👇🏻2/12
Or 1886, when mill workers in Milwaukee went on strike to demand an eight-hour work day. The strike spread to almost every mill and factory. The governor called in the National Guard and they shot and killed fifteen workers. www.wisconsinlaborhistory.org/our-events/b... 👇🏻3/12
In 1891 in Pittsburgh, mine workers went on strike against the wealthy industrialist Henry Clay Frick. After sending in National Guard who killed 7 workers, Frick then hired 100 goons to regularly attack workers until they went back to work. pittsburghlaborhistorytrail.org/morewood-mas... 👇🏻4/12
In 1894, a strike of a quarter-million rail worker across 27 states led President Cleveland to send in thousands of US Marshals and 12,000 Army troops to break the strikes, killing a dozen workers in Chicago and 30 total nationwide. libcom.org/article/pull... 👇🏻5/12
In 1897, immigrant workers at the Latimer Mine in Pennsylvania went on strike. A sheriff's posse sent to disburse the few hundred workers shot 19 of them dead. Unlike previous strikes, here workers had destroyed no property and engaged in no violence. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-... 👇🏻6/12
In 1905, Teamsters in Chicago went on strike. The affected business community through the Employer's Association of Chicago funneled money into hiring private goons to attack the picket lines. Over 103 days, 21 workers (and no goons) were killed. www.loc.gov/resource/sn8... 👇🏻7/12
In 1912, the mine workers at Paint Creek & Cabin Creek went on strike. The company hired goons to beat them, contaminate their food, shoot at their homes, and shoot them. Fifty workers died, many more suffered malnutrition and poisoning. www.nps.gov/articles/000... 👇🏻8/12
In 1913, miners in Ludlow, Colorado, went on strike. The company hired goons and later the National Guard joined them, machine gunning their camp and executing their leader when they lured him out to negotiate a cease-fire. 200 workers died. coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ludl... 👇🏻9/12
In 1920, The Battle of Blair Mountain played out between 13,000 striking miners and the sheriff who had air support from private pilots to drop old WWI bombs and gas on workers. Up to 100 workers were killed before President Harding called in the Army. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/batt... 👇🏻10/12
In 1937, the Memorial Day Massacre happened in Chicago when striking steelworkers and their families were met by 250 Chicago cops hired by the company who began firing into the crowd. Ten people were shot, mostly in the back. www.chicagohistory.org/remembering-... 👇🏻11/12