Today in Labor History April 19, 1936: Arabs in Mandatory Palestine began a General Strike that lasted into October. It marked the beginning of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt, which sought to end colonialism in the region and the immigration of Jews. There was also a General Strike going on in Mandatory Syria. The strikers were demanding that the British Government change its policies in the two territories by (1) prohibiting further Jewish immigration; (2) prohibiting the transfer of Arab land to Jews; (3) and the establishment of a National Government. In response, the British government imposed heavy fines and demolished Arab homes. Solidarity actions occurred in Cairo, Bagdad, Beirut.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #generalstrike #palestine #zionism #colonialism #revolt #solidarity #FreePalestine

Today in Labor History April 20, 1948: United Auto Workers President Walter Reuther was shot and seriously wounded by would-be assassins while he was eating dinner. It permanently impaired his right arm. He survived and ultimately died in a plane crash in 1970 under suspicious circumstances. Reuther also survived an attempted kidnapping in April, 1938, while his brother Victor was shot and nearly killed by police in 1949. The UAW headquarters was also bombed in 1949. Both Walter and Victor were again nearly killed in a small private plane near Dulles Airport. Despite this history of attempts on his life, virtually no media addressed the possibility that his actual death may have been an assassination.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #walterreuther #uaw #union #autoworkers #assassination #police #bombing

Today in Labor History April 20, 1914: National Guards opened fire on a mining camp during a strike in Ludlow, Colorado, killing five miners, two women, and twelve children. By the end of the strike, they had killed more than 75 people. The strike involved 10,000 members of the united Mine Workers of America (UMW), 1,200 of whom had been living in the Ludlow tent colony. Many of the “Guards” were actually goons and vigilantes hired by the Ludlow Mine Field owner, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. During the assault, they opened fire on strikers and their families with machine guns and set fire to the camp.

Mining was (and still is) a dangerous job. At the time, Colorado miners were dying on the job at a rate of more than 7 deaths per 1,000 employees. The working conditions were not only unsafe, but terribly unfair, too. Workers were paid by the ton for coal that they extracted, but weren’t paid for so-called “dead work” like shoring up unstable roofs and tunnels. This system encouraged miners to risk their lives by ignoring safety precautions and preparations so that they would have more time to extract and deliver coal. Miners also lived in “company towns” where the boss not only owned their housing and the stores that supplied their food and clothing, but charged inflated prices for these services. Furthermore, the workers were paid in “scrip,” a currency that was valid only in the company towns. So even if workers had a way to get to another store, they had no money to purchase anything. Therefore, much of what the miners earned went back into the pockets of their bosses.

In the wake of the Ludlow Massacre, bands of armed miners attacked mine guards and anti-union establishments. In nearby Trinidad, they openly distributed arms from the UMWA headquarters. Over the next ten days, miners attacked mines, killing or driving off guards and scabs, and setting building on fire. They also fought sporadic skirmishes with the Colorado National Guard. In June of 1914, a number of anarchists decided to seek revenge on Rockefeller. Alexander Berkman (a friend, and former lover, of Emma Goldman) helped plan the assassination at the New York Ferrer Center. This was also the home to the anarchist Modern School, which Berkman helped create. However, the bomb exploded prematurely, killing three anarchists. These events led to infiltration of the school and center by undercover cops.

You can read my complete article on Ludlow and the Colorado Labor Wars here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/20/the-ludlow-massacre/

And my complete article on the Modern School Movement here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2022/04/30/the-modern-school-movement/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #ludlow #massacre #mining #vigilantes #rockefeller #anarchism #martiallaw #police #policebrutality #bomb #colorado #emmagoldman #alexanderberkman #umw #women #children

Artículo sobre cómo recomendar Mastodon sin soltar el discurso de la federación en los primeros treinta segundos.

https://fedipunk.com/como-recomendar-mastodon-facil/

#Mastodon #Fediverso

Forty years obsessed with this song: "Indiscipline" by King Crimson. And it has to be with Adrian Belew acting it.

Yes, I have posted it before, but that's why I use the word obsession.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIBsSZvmSN0

#music

The Jungle Book

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life!

#RudyardKipling #BareNecessities #Lyrics #Film #Music #HarrisAndReitherman

https://youtu.be/6BH-Rxd-NBo