Today in Labor History December 2, 1980: Four American missionaries were raped and murdered by a Salvadoran death squad. The Salvadoran Civil War began after a 1979 military coup. Catholic activists protested against the junta's oppression of the poor and working class. Death squads assassinated Óscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, March 24, 1980. After the four Americans were murdered, U.S. President Jimmy Carter suspended aid to El Salvador. However, succeeding President, Ronald Reagan, promptly authorized increased military aid. He also sent more U.S. military advisers, escalating attacks on civilians. His foreign policy advisor, Jean Kirkpatrick, claimed that "the nuns were not just nuns; they were political activists," as if this justified their rape and murder. After the release of declassified documents in the 1990s, New Jersey congressman Robert Torricelli stated that it was "now clear that the Reagan Administration was certifying human rights progress in El Salvador they knew the terrible truth that the Salvadoran military was engaged in a widespread campaign of terror and torture." During the Civil War, over 65,000 civilians were killed, plus another 5,300 disappeared, with over half a million people internally displaced, and another half million fleeing to other countries as refugees.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #elsalvador #rape #reagan #romero #deathsquads #murder #massmurder #SchooloftheAmericas

Today in Labor History December 5, 1955: E. D. Nixon and Rosa Parks initiated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott lasted until December 20, 1956, when the Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama and Montgomery bus segregation laws were unconstitutional.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #rosaparks #racism #jimcrow #alabama #boycott #segregation #SCOTUS #BlackMastodon

Today in Labor History December 3, 1946: Women retail clerks at Hastings and Kahn’s launched the Oakland General Strike, the last General Strike to occur in the U.S. Other workers soon joined in. Overall, more than 100,000 workers participated in the 3-day Oakland General Strike, which was part of the 1945-1946 strike wave, the largest strike wave in US history. Over 5 million workers participated in the nationwide strike wave, including 225,000 UAW members, 174,000 electric workers struck, 750,000 steel workers, 250,000 railroad workers. There were several other General Strikes in 1946, too, including Lancaster, PA; Stamford, CT; Rochester, NY. In reaction to this strike wave, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which severely restricted the powers and activities of unions. It also banned General Strikes, stripping away the most powerful tool workers had.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #oakland #GeneralStrike #strike #wildcat #union #tafthartley #solidarity

Today in Labor History December 5, 1955: E. D. Nixon and Rosa Parks initiated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott lasted until December 20, 1956, when the Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama and Montgomery bus segregation laws were unconstitutional.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #rosaparks #racism #jimcrow #alabama #boycott #segregation #SCOTUS #BlackMastodon

Today in Labor History December 3, 1946: Women retail clerks at Hastings and Kahn’s launched the Oakland General Strike, the last General Strike to occur in the U.S. Other workers soon joined in. Overall, more than 100,000 workers participated in the 3-day Oakland General Strike, which was part of the 1945-1946 strike wave, the largest strike wave in US history. Over 5 million workers participated in the nationwide strike wave, including 225,000 UAW members, 174,000 electric workers struck, 750,000 steel workers, 250,000 railroad workers. There were several other General Strikes in 1946, too, including Lancaster, PA; Stamford, CT; Rochester, NY. In reaction to this strike wave, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which severely restricted the powers and activities of unions. It also banned General Strikes, stripping away the most powerful tool workers had.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #oakland #GeneralStrike #strike #wildcat #union #tafthartley #solidarity

Today in Labor History November 28, 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigned in tears after a mass non-payment of her hated poll tax forced her out of office. The tax was a flat tax, hugely unfair, charging all adults, regardless of their wealth or income, the same amount. At the height of the campaign, nearly half of all British adults, 17 million people, had refused to pay the tax. The Labour Party refused to back any protest of the tax. But Anti-Poll Tax Unions formed across the country, and there were thousands of demonstrations, many of which became riots after mounted police charged the protesters. Over 100 were injured and more than 330 were arrested in the protests.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #polltax #margaretthatcher #protests #demonstrations #directaction #anarchism #socialism #tax

Today in Labor History December 2, 1980: Four American missionaries were raped and murdered by a Salvadoran death squad. The Salvadoran Civil War began after a 1979 military coup. Catholic activists protested against the junta's oppression of the poor and working class. Death squads assassinated Óscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, March 24, 1980. After the four Americans were murdered, U.S. President Jimmy Carter suspended aid to El Salvador. However, succeeding President, Ronald Reagan, promptly authorized increased military aid. He also sent more U.S. military advisers, escalating attacks on civilians. His foreign policy advisor, Jean Kirkpatrick, claimed that "the nuns were not just nuns; they were political activists," as if this justified their rape and murder. After the release of declassified documents in the 1990s, New Jersey congressman Robert Torricelli stated that it was "now clear that the Reagan Administration was certifying human rights progress in El Salvador they knew the terrible truth that the Salvadoran military was engaged in a widespread campaign of terror and torture." During the Civil War, over 65,000 civilians were killed, plus another 5,300 disappeared, with over half a million people internally displaced, and another half million fleeing to other countries as refugees.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #elsalvador #rape #reagan #romero #deathsquads #murder #massmurder #SchooloftheAmericas

Today in Labor History November 27, 1978: Former cop and city supervisor Dan White assassinated San Francisco’s mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, rather than first-degree murder, and only served five years in prison, based on the defense that he suffered diminished capacity due to depression, manifested in his switch from healthy foods to Twinkies and other junk foods.

This travesty of justice led to the White Night Riot, after decades of police harassment and physical abuse of San Francisco’s LGBTQ community. During the protests, people attacked the windows of City Hall and set at least a dozen cop cars on fire. When the cops tried to defend City Hall, protesters hurled rocks and bottles at them, forcing them to run inside. Protesters also busted windows in the financial district and in other government buildings. The riot caused hundreds of thousands of dollar’s-worth of property damage. And when the riot was finally subdued, the cops made a retaliatory raid on the Elephant Bar, in the Castro District, where they beat patrons and arrested 24.

The double assassination of Moscone and Milk dramatically altered the political landscape of San Francisco. Under Moscone and Milk, the city had been moving in a progressive, pro-neighborhood direction. With the new mayor, Diane Feinstein, city politics returned to the traditional, conservative, pro-Chamber of Commerce, law and order framework that preceded Moscone and Milk. And Feinstein parlayed her success as SF mayor into a long and sordid career in Congress, where she was a strong proponent of Capital Punishment, vitriolic opponent of the Green New Deal, supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and generally supported U.S. imperialist policy abroad.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #HarveyMilk #lgbtq #georgemoscone #twinkiedefense #riot #protest #dianefeinstein #police #assassination #castrodistrict #sanfrancisco #policebrutality #palestine #zionism

In 1950, median INDIVIDUAL income was $1,971. A median home cost $7,354. The nation spent about $83 per person for healthcare. A four-year college degree cost $852.

Do the math. 3.73 years of work to buy a house. One week of work for healthcare. Less than two months for a college degree.

In 2023, median personal income was $42,220. A median home costs $429,000. Healthcare runs $14,570 per person per year. A four-year degree costs nearly $40,000.

10.16 years of work to buy a house. Twelve weeks of work for healthcare. More than ten months for college.

https://www.americasundoing.com/p/it-works-if-you-work-it

#workingclass #classwar #poverty #wealthgap #capitalism #inflation

Today in Labor History November 26, 1970: Indigenous activists from the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied Plymouth Rock in a National Day of Mourning. The protest was sparked when officials from the state of Massachusetts censored a speech to be given by Frank James (Wamsutta), an Aquinnah Wampanoag, on the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. Their rationale was that “anything inflammatory would have been out of place” on this “celebration of brotherhood.” In his speech, James talked about atrocities like the loss of native languages, culture, land, and life.

“Our spirit refuses to die. . . We stand tall and proud, and before too many moons pass we’ll right the wrongs we have allowed to happen to us. We forfeited our country. Our lands have fallen into the hands of the aggressor. We have allowed the white man to keep us on our knees. What has happened cannot be changed, but today we must work towards a more humane America, a more Indian America, where men and nature once again are important; where the Indian values of honor, truth, and brotherhood prevail. You the white man are celebrating an anniversary. We, the Wampanoags, will help you celebrate in the concept of a beginning. It was the beginning of a new life for the Pilgrims. Now, 350 years later it is a beginning of a new determination for the original American: the American Indian.”

Indigenous people have continued to commemorate the National Day of Mourning in Plymouth every year since 1970. In 1997, police attacked the peaceful demonstration with pepper spray and arrested 25 protestors.

You can read the James’s full speech here: http://www.blackcommentator.com/207/207_day_of_mourning_wampsutta_pf.html

#workingclass #LaborHistory #indigenous #AmericanIndianMovement #AIM #genocide #racism #freespeech #censorship

Today in Labor History November 28, 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigned in tears after a mass non-payment of her hated poll tax forced her out of office. The tax was a flat tax, hugely unfair, charging all adults, regardless of their wealth or income, the same amount. At the height of the campaign, nearly half of all British adults, 17 million people, had refused to pay the tax. The Labour Party refused to back any protest of the tax. But Anti-Poll Tax Unions formed across the country, and there were thousands of demonstrations, many of which became riots after mounted police charged the protesters. Over 100 were injured and more than 330 were arrested in the protests.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #polltax #margaretthatcher #protests #demonstrations #directaction #anarchism #socialism #tax

Today in Labor History November 27, 1978: Former cop and city supervisor Dan White assassinated San Francisco’s mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, rather than first-degree murder, and only served five years in prison, based on the defense that he suffered diminished capacity due to depression, manifested in his switch from healthy foods to Twinkies and other junk foods.

This travesty of justice led to the White Night Riot, after decades of police harassment and physical abuse of San Francisco’s LGBTQ community. During the protests, people attacked the windows of City Hall and set at least a dozen cop cars on fire. When the cops tried to defend City Hall, protesters hurled rocks and bottles at them, forcing them to run inside. Protesters also busted windows in the financial district and in other government buildings. The riot caused hundreds of thousands of dollar’s-worth of property damage. And when the riot was finally subdued, the cops made a retaliatory raid on the Elephant Bar, in the Castro District, where they beat patrons and arrested 24.

The double assassination of Moscone and Milk dramatically altered the political landscape of San Francisco. Under Moscone and Milk, the city had been moving in a progressive, pro-neighborhood direction. With the new mayor, Diane Feinstein, city politics returned to the traditional, conservative, pro-Chamber of Commerce, law and order framework that preceded Moscone and Milk. And Feinstein parlayed her success as SF mayor into a long and sordid career in Congress, where she was a strong proponent of Capital Punishment, vitriolic opponent of the Green New Deal, supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and generally supported U.S. imperialist policy abroad.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #HarveyMilk #lgbtq #georgemoscone #twinkiedefense #riot #protest #dianefeinstein #police #assassination #castrodistrict #sanfrancisco #policebrutality #palestine #zionism

In 1950, median INDIVIDUAL income was $1,971. A median home cost $7,354. The nation spent about $83 per person for healthcare. A four-year college degree cost $852.

Do the math. 3.73 years of work to buy a house. One week of work for healthcare. Less than two months for a college degree.

In 2023, median personal income was $42,220. A median home costs $429,000. Healthcare runs $14,570 per person per year. A four-year degree costs nearly $40,000.

10.16 years of work to buy a house. Twelve weeks of work for healthcare. More than ten months for college.

https://www.americasundoing.com/p/it-works-if-you-work-it

#workingclass #classwar #poverty #wealthgap #capitalism #inflation

Today in Labor History November 26, 1970: Indigenous activists from the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied Plymouth Rock in a National Day of Mourning. The protest was sparked when officials from the state of Massachusetts censored a speech to be given by Frank James (Wamsutta), an Aquinnah Wampanoag, on the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. Their rationale was that “anything inflammatory would have been out of place” on this “celebration of brotherhood.” In his speech, James talked about atrocities like the loss of native languages, culture, land, and life.

“Our spirit refuses to die. . . We stand tall and proud, and before too many moons pass we’ll right the wrongs we have allowed to happen to us. We forfeited our country. Our lands have fallen into the hands of the aggressor. We have allowed the white man to keep us on our knees. What has happened cannot be changed, but today we must work towards a more humane America, a more Indian America, where men and nature once again are important; where the Indian values of honor, truth, and brotherhood prevail. You the white man are celebrating an anniversary. We, the Wampanoags, will help you celebrate in the concept of a beginning. It was the beginning of a new life for the Pilgrims. Now, 350 years later it is a beginning of a new determination for the original American: the American Indian.”

Indigenous people have continued to commemorate the National Day of Mourning in Plymouth every year since 1970. In 1997, police attacked the peaceful demonstration with pepper spray and arrested 25 protestors.

You can read the James’s full speech here: http://www.blackcommentator.com/207/207_day_of_mourning_wampsutta_pf.html

#workingclass #LaborHistory #indigenous #AmericanIndianMovement #AIM #genocide #racism #freespeech #censorship

Today in Labor History November 22, 1891: Dr. Edward L. Bernays was born in Vienna, Austria. Bernays, a nephew of Freud, is considered by many to be father of public relations. He is credited with getting millions of women to start smoking with his “Torches of Freedom” cigarette ad campaign that equated smoking with feminism, and with women’s liberation and independence. He also worked to legitimize the CIA/United Fruit overthrow of the democratically-elected Arbenz government in Guatemalan, becoming the primary supplier of information for the international newswires, like Associated Press, United Press International, and the International News Service. He described the masses as irrational and subject to herd instinct and wrote books on how to harness this to maximize profits. In the 1930s, his critics compared him to Goebbels and Hitler, and Goebbels did, indeed, read and utilize Bernays’s books to inform his propaganda campaigns. Bernays was even offered a job by the Nazis, which he reportedly turned down. He also supposedly turned down propaganda job offers from the the Spanish fascist dictator, Francisco, Franco and the brutal Somoza family, in Nicaragua.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #edwardbernays #freud #unitedfruit #cia #guatemala #publicrelations #advertising #smoking #cigarettes #arbenz #hitler #nazis #fascism

Today in Labor History November 22, 1891: Dr. Edward L. Bernays was born in Vienna, Austria. Bernays, a nephew of Freud, is considered by many to be father of public relations. He is credited with getting millions of women to start smoking with his “Torches of Freedom” cigarette ad campaign that equated smoking with feminism, and with women’s liberation and independence. He also worked to legitimize the CIA/United Fruit overthrow of the democratically-elected Arbenz government in Guatemalan, becoming the primary supplier of information for the international newswires, like Associated Press, United Press International, and the International News Service. He described the masses as irrational and subject to herd instinct and wrote books on how to harness this to maximize profits. In the 1930s, his critics compared him to Goebbels and Hitler, and Goebbels did, indeed, read and utilize Bernays’s books to inform his propaganda campaigns. Bernays was even offered a job by the Nazis, which he reportedly turned down. He also supposedly turned down propaganda job offers from the the Spanish fascist dictator, Francisco, Franco and the brutal Somoza family, in Nicaragua.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #edwardbernays #freud #unitedfruit #cia #guatemala #publicrelations #advertising #smoking #cigarettes #arbenz #hitler #nazis #fascism

Today in Labor History November 20, 1922: Ricardo Flores Magón died in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Ricardo, with his brother Enrique, founded and edited the anarchist paper Regeneracion, founded the Partido Liberal de Mexico, and organized with the IWW. Magon was one of the major intellectual forces inspiring the Mexican Revolution, and he launched a short-lived revolution in Baja California, in which many IWW members from participated. In 1918, the U.S. arrested him under the 1917 Anti-Espionage Act, for publishing an anti-war manifesto. This was part of the First Red Scare, also known as the Palmer Raids, which also swept up Eugene Debs and Emma Goldman. Ricardo Flores Magon died 4 years later, in Leavenworth Prison. There are still streets named after him in many Mexican cities, including Tijuana.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #anarchism #magonistas #RicardoFloresMagon #mexico #Revolution #prison #IWW