Today in Labor History July 16, 1916: Carlo Tresca and other IWW strike leaders were arrested on charges of inciting the murder of a deputy. This was during a strike of 30,000 iron-ore mine workers of the Mesabi range in northern Minnesota. Tresca was an Italian-American IWW organizer and newspaper editor. He opposed fascism, Stalinism and mafia-infiltration of unions. He was assassinated in 1943. Some believe the Soviets killed him in retaliation for his criticism of Stalin. The most recent research suggests it was the Bonanno crime family, in response to his criticism of the mafia and Mussolini. Tresca wrote two books. His autobiography was published posthumously in 2003. He also wrote a book in Italian, “L'attentato a Mussolini ovvero il segreto di Pulcinella.”

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #carlotresca #mesabi #mining #books #writer #author #stalin #soviet #mafia #fascism #antifascism #mussolini #union @bookstadon

Today in Labor History June 1, 1916: The predominantly immigrant iron miners of the Mesabi Range, Minnesota, participated in a seemingly spontaneous strike in response to overpriced housing and goods, long hours and poor pay. The group was led by radical Finns who quickly drew the attention and aid of the IWW. Wobbly organizers, including Carlo Tresca, Joe Schmidt, Frank Little, and later Joe Ettor and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, came to help local strike leaders draw up a list of demands which included an 8-hour day, timed from when workers entered the mine until they were outside; a pay-scale based upon the actual hours worked; paydays twice monthly; immediate back-pay for hours worked upon severance; abolition of the Saturday night shift; abolition of the hated contract mining system. In the Contract Mining system, the bosses hired and paid “skilled” miners to do most of the mining. The contract miners then had to hire their own laborers and pay them out of their meagre wages. The contract miners were often native-born people, while the laborers were usually immigrants. This created a racialized two-tiered system that divided the workers and made it harder to organize. The bosses would routinely offer the contract miners a small concession to get them back to work, while offering the even more poorly paid laborers nothing, destroying their solidarity and ending the strike. Flynn would later go on to cofound the American Civil Liberties Union. Tresca would go on to became a leading organizer against both fascism and Stalinism. He was assassinated in 1943, possibly on orders of the Genovese crime family, possibly on orders of Stalin, and possibly Italian fascists. Frank Little, who was Native American, was later murdered by vigilantes during a strike in Butte. You can read my biography of Frank Little here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/05/frank-little/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #union #strike #wildcat #mesabi #iron #mining #solidarity #immigrant #ElizabethGurleyFlynn #FrankLittle #racism #vigilantes #nativeamerican #indigenous #fascism #antifascism #soviet #stalin #aclu #mafia

Duluth harbour has always been a fascination of mine. The serenity with which the great lakers leave port, broken only by the solemn salute to the bridge keeper delights the imagination. That voice inside my mind asking: What joys, and unspoken fears might those sailors be feeling? Whether a green hand might be embarking on a new adventure – apprehension and uncertainty suppressed at great effort. What beloved has been left behind, or who might await them at the other end.

For me theGreat Lakes excite the imagination at least as well as Samuel Clemons’ Mississippi, but the frivolity of the river life replaced with the stern respect for this great inland sea and all she holds in the cold embrace of her barely fathomable depths.

#Duluth #Laker #IronRange #Mesabi #Minnesota

Jan 7, 1902: Leonard Olson (Olsen) was born in Virginia, MN on this date. He served in the antifascist forces defending democracy in the Spanish Civil War. He attended Virginia High School through the 9th grade and later apprenticed with a carpenter. Over his life he worked as a barber’s apprentice, a steeplejack, a house painter, a lumberjack, a seaman. (1/3)

#SpanishCivilWar #MN #Mesabi #Antifa #OTD

https://alba-valb.org/volunteers/leonard-evan-olson/

Today in Labor History August 10, 1923: Italian-American anarchist and IWW organizer Carlo Tresca was arrested in the United States on the charge of publishing anti-fascist literature. Tresca opposed fascism, Stalinism and mafia-infiltration of unions. He was assassinated in 1943. Some believe the Soviets killed him in retaliation for his criticism of Stalin. The most recent research suggests it was the Bonanno crime family, in response to his criticism of the mafia and Mussolini. Tresca wrote two books. His autobiography was published posthumously in 2003. He also wrote a book in Italian, “L'attentato a Mussolini ovvero il segreto di Pulcinella.”

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #carlotresca #mesabi #mining #books #writer #author #stalin #anarchism #soviet #mafia #fascism #antifascism #mussolini #union @bookstadon

Today in Labor History July 16, 1916: Carlo Tresca and other IWW strike leaders were arrested on charges of inciting the murder of a deputy. This was during a strike of 30,000 iron-ore mine workers of the Mesabi range in northern Minnesota. Tresca was an Italian-American IWW organizer and newspaper editor. He opposed fascism, Stalinism and mafia-infiltration of unions. He was assassinated in 1943. Some believe the Soviets killed him in retaliation for his criticism of Stalin. The most recent research suggests it was the Bonanno crime family, in response to his criticism of the mafia and Mussolini. Tresca wrote two books. His autobiography was published posthumously in 2003. He also wrote a book in Italian, “L'attentato a Mussolini ovvero il segreto di Pulcinella.”

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #IWW #carlotresca #mesabi #mining #books #writer #author #stalin #soviet #mafia #fascism #antifascism #mussolini #union @bookstadon

Today in Labor History June 1, 1916: The predominantly immigrant iron miners of the Mesabi Range, Minnesota, participated in a seemingly spontaneous strike in response to overpriced housing and goods, long hours and poor pay. The group was led by radical Finns who quickly drew the attention and aid of the IWW. Wobbly organizers, including Carlo Tresca, Joe Schmidt, Frank Little, and later Joe Ettor and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, came to help local strike leaders draw up a list of demands which included an 8-hour day, timed from when workers entered the mine until they were outside; a pay-scale based upon the actual hours worked; paydays twice monthly; immediate back-pay for hours worked upon severance; abolition of the Saturday night shift; abolition of the hated contract mining system. In the Contract Mining system, the bosses hired and paid “skilled” miners to do most of the mining. The contract miners then had to hire their own laborers and pay them out of their meagre wages. The contract miners were often native-born people, while the laborers were usually immigrants. This created a racialized two-tiered system that divided the workers and made it harder to organize. The bosses would routinely offer the contract miners a small concession to get them back to work, while offering the even more poorly paid laborers nothing, destroying their solidarity and ending the strike. Flynn would later go on to cofound the American Civil Liberties Union. Tresca would go on to became a leading organizer against both fascism and Stalinism. He was assassinated in 1943, possibly on orders of the Genovese crime family, possibly on orders of Stalin, and possibly Italian fascists. Frank Little, who was Native American, was later murdered by vigilantes during a strike in Butte. You can read my biography of Frank Little here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/05/frank-little/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #union #strike #wildcat #mesabi #iron #mining #solidarity #immigrant #ElizabethGurleyFlynn #FrankLittle #racism #vigilantes #nativeamerican #indigenous #fascism #antifascism #soviet #stalin #aclu #mafia

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #union #strike #wildcat #mesabi #iron #mining #solidarity #immigrant #ElizabethGurleyFlynn #FrankLittle #racism #vigilantes #nativeamerican #indigenous