Today in Labor History June 19, 1938: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Vancouver cops attacked strikers with tear gas and clubs on Bloody Sunday. Over 100 were injured, with over 43 hospitalized. The strikers were primarily unemployed men, affiliated with the Communist Party. They had been on strike for months and had occupied hotels, the Vancouver art gallery, and post office. Events began on May 20, when 500 unemployed workers began a sit-down strike in the Hotel Georgia, in Vancouver, British Columbia. In early ’38, the government had cut grants to the provinces. As a result, many of the relief camps shut down and jobs dried up. In response, protesters occupied the Hotel Georgia, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the main post office beginning on May 20. They were led by communist organizers. The owner of the hotel refused to call the cops, fearing major property damage in the melee that would ensue. So, he bribed the men to leave. However, those in the post office and art gallery remained for weeks.
#Wages were strong: Avg hourly #earnings rose 0.4%, up 4.1% from a year earlier. That was also stronger than expected, since #WageIncreases have been easing since early 2022.
The household survey, from which the #unemployment rate is drawn, showed 408k fewer people #working in May than in April. That data has been out of joint for some time w/the survey of #employers, from which the #JobGrowth figure is tallied, suggesting revisions down the line.
Today in Labor History June 2, 1780: The Gordon Riots began on this date in England and lasted through June 9. The riots began as a pogrom against Catholics. However, it grew into a mass worker insurrection that included ex-slaves, impressed sailors and debtors, English, Irish, Italians, Germans and Jews. The insurrectionists liberated two thousand prisoners and destroyed every major prison in London. They wrote on the prison walls, “Freed by the Authority of His Majesty, King Mob." Rioters also destroyed the homes members of the ruling elite, as well as toll houses and the Bank of England. The rich fled the city in terror. It was the most destructive protest in the history of London. The military was called in. They slaughtered up to 700 workers. The political context for the insurrection included low wages and inflation due to England’s wars with the U.S., Spain and France, as well as the desire for universal suffrage.
Today in Labor History May 20, 1938: 500 unemployed workers began a sit-down strike in the Hotel Georgia, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Unemployed men had been drifting to British Columbia during the Depression because of the milder climate and relatively better pay in the forestry camps. In early ’38, the government had cut grants to the provinces. As a result, many of the relief camps shut down and jobs dried up. In response, protesters occupied the Hotel George, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the main post office beginning on May 20. They were led by communist organizers. The owner of the hotel refused to call the cops, fearing major property damage in the melee that would ensue. So, he bribed the men to leave. However, those in the post office and art gallery remained for weeks.
The conflict culminated on Bloody Sunday (June 19), when undercover Mounties brutally beat strikers in their attempt to evict them. 42 people were hospitalized, five of whom were cops. One striker lost an eye. Those who evaded arrest, along with onlookers and supporters on the outside, then marched to the East End, smashing windows. They caused $35,000 damage.
Today in labor history April 29, 1894: Jacob Coxey led a group of 500 unemployed workers from the Midwest to Washington, D.C. They demanded federal jobs for the poor. The authorities promptly arrested Coxey and many of his followers for trespassing on Capitol grounds.
The Return of Coxey's Army (By Eddie Starr)
When they busted all the unions,
You can't make no living wage.
And this working poor arrangement,
Gonna turn to public rage.
And then get ready . . .
We're gonna bring back Coxey's Army
And take his message to the street.
The financial panic of 1893 caused one of the worst depressions the country had ever seen. The depression lasted five years and caused unemployment to reach 18%. Banks failed and currency supplies dried up after Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Coxey owned a sand quarry and was personally wealthy. But he was outraged at the government’s lack of response to the poverty he saw around him. So, he organized a march on Washington, to demand jobs for the poor.
as i have said before, if you are in #tech you mostly likely were in work environment that looked down on other workers & rejected #labor#unions as unnecessary because, well you don't need them because you make the most money as a worker.
but guess what: you're still a worker. you're still from the working class.
we need y'all high-earners organizing and demanding your #unemployment benefits.
THIS IS POLITICAL PRAXIS. students in campuses are in tents, you're at the unemployment office 🧵
I'm just about as willing to listen to trolls babble re: how the unemployment and job growth numbers from the Department of Labor are "made up" as I am to listen to Marjorie Taylor Green babble about god and earthquakes and eclipses.
Which is to say, try that with me, and my ears will just close.
The refusal of many Americans to live in the reality-based world portends nothing but disaster if we let those folks sway public discourse.
"According to economist Steven Rattner of Morning Joe, the United States has now had 26 consecutive months—more than two years—of unemployment under 4%, the longest stretch of unemployment that low since the late 1960s.
Rattner pointed out that immigrants have helped to push U.S. growth since the pandemic by adding millions of new workers to the labor market."
"As native-born workers have aged into retirement, immigrants have taken their places and 'been essential to America’s post-COVID labor market recovery.'
Heather Long of the Washington Post added that wage growth has been 4.1% in the past year, which is well above the 3.2% inflation rate.
Today in Labor History March 30, 1930: Hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers demonstrated in thirty cities. 35,000 marched in New York City and were violently assaulted by the police. At the time, there was virtually no formal aid available for the unemployed or poor. The ruling elite feared that workers would choose the dole over work if given the choice. So, they opposed unemployment insurance. Even the AFL opposed unemployment insurance because it saw itself as the representative of skilled workers only. It didn’t care about unskilled factory workers. The demonstrations were organized by the Communist Party, with the goal of overthrowing capitalism.
During the historic gathering of 3 #UnitedStates presidents last night, pro- #Palestinian protesters interrupted the event. Again, instead of ignoring their protestations, the presidents addressed the concerns.
All 3 men remarked on the #Israel#Hamas#war in #Gaza, reflecting on the difficulty of trying to solve intractable challenges such as #MiddleEast#peace as #POTUS. #Biden said there have been “too many innocent victims, Israeli & Palestinian,” in the conflict.
#Obama said, “Sometimes we forget where we started, & where we are now. You've got record-breaking #job growth. You've got an #unemployment rate that is as low as it has been."
There are "structural problems" that frustrate people, Obama said, incl’g the suppression of #unions. That's something #Biden has specifically battled against, he said.
Today in Labor History March 21, 1960: South African police opened fire on peaceful black protesters, killing 69 and wounding 180 in the Sharpeville massacre. Many were shot in the back as they fled. Thousands had been out protesting the hated pass laws, when they decided to march on the police station. The town of Sharpeville had high unemployment and poverty. Its residents had been forcibly moved there from the neighboring town of Topville in 1958. Passbooks were used by the Apartheid regime to control the movement of black residents and to enforce segregation.
Today in Labor History March 11, 1811: Luddites attacked looms near Nottingham, England, because automation was threatening their jobs. At the time, workers were suffering from high unemployment, declining wages, an “endless” war with France and food scarcity. On March 11, they smashed machines in Nottingham and demonstrated for job security and higher wages. The protests and property destruction spread across a 70-mile area of England, reaching Manchester. The government sent troops to protect the factories and made machine-breaking punishable by death.
Today in Labor History March 6, 1930: 100,000 people demonstrated for jobs in New York City. Demonstrations by unemployed workers, demanding unemployment insurance, occurred in virtually every major U.S. city. In New York, police attacked a crowd of 35,000. In Cleveland, 10,000 people battled police. In Detroit, the Communist Party organized an underemployment demonstration. Over 50,000 people showed up. Thousands took to the streets in Toledo, Flint and Pontiac. These demonstrations led to the creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), sponsored by Republican congressman Hamilton Fish, with the support of the American Federation of Labor, to investigate and quash radical activities.
"Put out a 'Trump schedule' and note every time he is in court and what the charges are. Have President Biden get up at the White House and make a statement like, 'Here is what we are doing at the White House while Donald Trump is in court today,' followed by a list of Democrats’ accomplishments," (continued in /2)
"the unemployment numbers, the fact that a state just raised the minimum wage with Democratic support, Democrats’ support for women’s reproductive rights, for teaching American history accurately rather than whitewashing the past."
Today in Labor History February 11, 1918: Tens of thousands of unemployed Danish syndicalists stormed the Stock Exchange in Copenhagen. Only the leaders knew where the demonstration march was heading. To trick the police, they leaked that their target was the Pork Hall, which they were going to loot. Participants, armed with clubs, attacked the stockbrokers. Later, they attacked police with rubble from a construction site. Media sources compared the storm with the ravages of the Red Army and looting in the Finnish Civil War,
Today in Labor History February 8, 1886: Black Monday Riot in Trafalgar Square, London. Two rival organizations were demonstrating against unemployment and low wages, the London United Workmen’s Committee and the Social Democratic Federation. Despite their rivalry, both groups participated without any major fights. However, angry workers started spilling into the West End, smashing windows, looting and destroying property.
💪🏼U.S. employers added a surprisingly robust 353,000 #jobs in January, a further sign of economic strength. Last month’s job gain topped the 333,000 that were added in December, and the #unemployment rate stayed at 3.7%, just off a half-century low -ABC #Bidenomics 💪🏼
Today in Labor History January 28, 1914: The Edmonton, Canada city council caved in to the IWW, agreeing to provide a large hall to house the homeless. They also agreed to pass out three 25-cent meal tickets per day to each man, and to employ 400 people on a public project. On December 27, 1913, IWW workers in Edmonton had begun a rebellion to force the city to house 400 unemployed during winter.