Today in Labor History January 19, 1915: Factory guards, and sheriff’s deputies, under the pay of factory bosses, fired at striking workers at the Williams and Clark fertilizer factory in Roosevelt, New Jersey. They shot 20 workers, including children as young as 12. Two of the men died from their injuries. The workers were on strike, demanding the restoration of a recent 20% pay cut. Remarkably (as this seldom happens), several of the deputies were arrested and tried. 9 of them were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to prison terms of 2-10 years each. Despite the violence, the workers persevered, ultimately winning the restoration of their original salaries.

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