On This Day in Working Class History
by Working Class History
Daily briefings of On This Day people's history anniversaries every day of the year. From the Working Class History team. Help support our work by joining us on patreon and accessing exclusive content and benefits: patreon.com/workingclasshistory
Episodes
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7 November 1988: Brazil CSN strike
On this day, 7 November 1988, workers at the Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (National Iron Metallurgy Company) of Brazil began a sit-in strike for a pay increase and for the reinstatement of workers sacked for their political beliefs. Two days later the army and police raided the plant, shooting...
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6 November 1912: Grabow mill arson
On this day, 6 November 1912, the Grabow lumber mill in Louisiana was burned to the ground. Four months earlier it had been the location of a massacre caused when bosses opened fire on striking workers. The workers, many of them organised in the Brotherhood of Timber Workers, part of the…
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5 November 1811: Saint-Leu enslaved revolt
On this day, 5 November 1811, enslaved people in Saint-Leu, in the then-British colony of Bourbon island (now the French colony, Réunion), rose up in rebellion. Enslaved Africans, Madagascans and Creoles working on the land, and as domestic workers and in manufacturing, armed themselves with...
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4 November 1910: Champagne tax strike
On this day, 4 November 1910, in a prelude to the Champagne riots of the following year, several grape growing communes in the Champagne region of France decided to stop paying taxes. Growers were angry at Champagne producers driving down prices, and importing cheaper grapes from elsewhere in...
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3 November 2017: Marshall Islands fish strike
On 3 November 2017 around 20 workers at the Delap Marshall Islands Fishing Venture (MIFV) went on strike. MIFV claimed that the strike was based on a false allegation that they had withdrawn the ability of employees to buy fish on credit from their salaries. They claim that one employee was…
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2 November 1917: Balfour declaration
On this day, 2 November 1917, the UK government issued the Balfour declaration, announcing its official policy to facilitate "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people". The founder of political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, had approached Britain for support for of...
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1 November 2008: Boeing workers win strike
On this day, 1 November 2008, thousands of Boeing machinists won their 2-month strike. The walkout was costing Boeing $100 million a day, and ended when the company and the union agreed a 15% pay rise over 4 years and increased ability for the union to challenge outsourcing. More information,...
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31 October 1979: Iran oil workers strike
On this day, 31 October 1978, 30,000 oil workers went on strike in Iran marking one of the early actions of the Iranian revolution. The oil workers, as well as the workers' and women's movements in general, would have a large role to play in the revolution until they were crushed by followers of...
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30 October 1919: Pennsylvania blind workers strike
On this day, 30 October 1919, residents of the Pennsylvania Working Home for Blind Men demanded higher wages for their work, threatening to strike the following week if they weren't granted. The visually impaired men made brooms, whisks, carpets and other goods, and their home had increased the...
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29 October 1831: Bristol reform riots
On this day, 29 October 1831, widespread rioting began in Bristol in response to the defeat of the second Reform Bill, which would have expanded the right to vote. Over £300,000 worth of damage was done to the centre of Bristol and there were over 250 casualties in three days of rioting. The…
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28 October 1916: Conscription defeated in Australia
On this day, 28 October 1916, conscription to the army in Australia during World War I was narrowly defeated in a referendum by 51% to 49%. Labor prime minister Billy Hughes, a former union leader, had vigorously attempted to introduce conscription. He blamed the revolutionary union the…
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27 October 1948: NYC brewery strike grows
On this day, 27 October 1948, a two-week wildcat strike of New York City brewery workers had grown to 3500 people. Two of the city's brewers then decided to abandon the Board of Trade's collective position and agree to the strikers' demands to drop a punitive scheduling system which gave drivers...
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26 October 1983: Northwood and Pinner occupation
On this day, 26 October 1983, the Northwood and Pinner hospital in England was occupied by its workers in protest at its proposed closure, led by matron Jean Carey. From the following day, they ran the hospital themselves collectively and eventually the workers won, and it stayed open for a…
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25 October 1983: Hayes Cottage Hospital occupied
On this day, 25 October 1983, the Hayes Cottage Hospital in England was occupied by its staff and run under workers' control in protest at its proposed closure the following week. A leaflet about the occupation issued at the time stated: "This action was taken after a lot of thought but it was...
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24 October 1975: La Tondeña strike
On this day, 24 October 1975, 500 workers at the La Tondeña distillery in the Philippines went on strike and occupied the plant, despite president Ferdinand Marcos have declared martial law. The workers were organised in the Kaisahan ng Malayang Manggagawa ng La Tondeña union, and were demanding...
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23 October 1913: Bristol University Suffragette arson
On this day, 23 October 1913, suffragettes carried out an arson attack on Bristol University's recently-built boat house at their athletics ground. Suffragette literature was left nearby as well as a note saying "Business before pleasure. Hobhouse being responsible will pay. Release Mary...
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22 October 1921: Castleconnell fisheries strike
On this day, 22 October 1921, workers at the Castleconnell fisheries in Ireland went on strike after their boss repeatedly failed to attend arbitration meetings to address their demands. When he failed to make concessions, workers escalated their tactics by occupying fisheries and declaring a...
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21 October 1935: St Vincent Labour rebellion
On this day, 21 October 1935, the St Vincent labour rebellion began on the British-occupied Caribbean island when workers protesting against high prices in the capital, Kingstown, were fired on by police. People were protesting against plans to maintain sugar tariffs which helped producers at the...
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20 October 1901: Rosario sugar strike
On this day, 20 October 1901, hundreds of workers at the sugar refinery in Rosario, Argentina, demonstrated outside their factory for a pay increase and a maximum 10-hour working day. The strike was attended by anarchist leaders such as Romulo Ovidi. After being identified by the police, the...
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19 October 1945: Chinese seamen deported
On this day, 19 October 1945, the UK Labour government decided to deport hundreds of Chinese seamen who were living in Liverpool, 20,000 of whom had been brought to the city to assist the war effort in World War II. The Home Office claimed they were "an undesirable element" in the city. However…
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18 October 1931: Braunschweig strike
On this day, 18 October 1931, German workers in Braunschweig went on strike in protest against the Nazis. In the latter half of 1931 there were 25 political strikes by 30,000 workers in protest against fascism, with many more the following year. However, they remained mostly short stoppages in...
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17 October 1950: Salt of the Earth strike
On this day, 17 October 1950, miners of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers went on strike against the Empire Zinc Company. Their initial demands were for the end of discriminatory pay which paid white workers more than Mexican workers, and an end to segregated housing....
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16 October 1951: Spit and polish action
On this day, 16 October 1951, firefighters in Britain took their first ever national industrial action with an unofficial "spit and polish" strike, in response to attacks on pay and conditions. The action consisted of responding to emergency calls and putting out fires but refusing all other...
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15 October 1913: Indian miners protest indenture tax
On this day, 15 October 1913, Indian workers at the Farleigh colliery near Newcastle, South Africa, went on strike in protest against a tax on former indentured servants. The move was part of an ongoing campaign against racist pass laws in the white-ruled British colony. The laws restricted the...
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14 October 1976: One million strike in Canada
On this day, 14 October 1976, over a million Canadian workers stage a one-day strike to protest wage and price controls. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had actually campaigned against wage controls during the 1974 elections but his measures were considered to be the worst attack on labour since…
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13 October 1948: Ruppert brewery strike
On this day, 13 October 1948, 181 drivers at the Ruppert brewery in Manhattan went on wildcat strike in support of 21 drivers who had failed to keep up with excessively quick delivery schedules. Their union, the United Brewery Workers, had sanctioned the sackings and did not approve the walkout....
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12 October 1919: Port Edgar mutiny
On this day, 12 October 1919, 150 Royal Navy sailors mutinied and broke out of their ships at Port Edgar upon hearing they were being sent to the Baltic to fight against the Russian revolution. The desertion prevented the first destroyer flotilla from departing. Most of the mutineers were…
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11 October 1884: New Straitsville mine fire
On this day, 11 October 1884, one of the longest-burning fires in the world began when striking mine workers set fire to the New Straitsville mine in Ohio. Miners employed by the Columbus & Hocking Coal and Iron Company had walked out on strike in June, and mine bosses hired scab replacement...
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10 October 1947: West Africa railway strike
On this day, 10 October 1947 a strike began by Black African railway workers in the French colonies now known as Benin and the Côte d'Ivoire. The strike spread throughout the whole of French West Africa (including what is now Senegal and Guinea as well). It lasted until March 19 the following…
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9 October 1912: Little Falls textile strike
On this day, 9 October 1912, the mostly female workforce at the Phoenix Mill in Little Falls, New York, walked out on wildcat strike to force their employer to follow a new state law limiting working hours to 54 per week, down from 60. 2,000 other workers from the Phoenix and Gilberts Mills…
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8 October 1916: Standard Oil workers strike
On this day, 8 October 1916, mostly migrant workers at Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company in New Jersey walked out on strike against low wages and dangerous conditions. City authorities collaborated with the company and sent in police to brutally repress the strike, killing four and injuring…
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7 October 1988: Montenegro mass strike
On this day, 7 October 1988, thousands of workers in Montenegro, then part of Yugoslavia, went on strike demanding the resignation of the Communist Party leadership, whom they blamed for 200% inflation and a 50% reduction in living standards over the past eight years. Montenegrins and Serbs also...
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6 October 1995: Boeing machinists strike
On this day, 6 October 1995, 32,000 machinists went on strike at Boeing, one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers. It lasted for 69 days and ended in most of their demands being met. More information, sources and map:...
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5 October 2001: Malawi health workers strike
On this day, 5 October 2001, workers at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, launched a sitdown strike for better pay. In particular, the workers were complaining about wages and additional allowances, which were considerably lower for health workers than they were for…
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4 October 1945: Navy breaks oil strike
On this day, 4 October 1945, US President Harry S. Truman ordered the Navy to seize half of the US's oil refining capacity in order to break a three-week strike of the nation's oil workers. More info in this excellent book:...
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3 October 2019: Ecuador Indigenous protests
On this day, 3 October 2019, a series of protests led by Indigenous peoples began in Ecuador in protest at an austerity package backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) known as Decree 883. The bill, aimed at reducing public spending, included pay cuts and increases in fuel costs of at…
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2 October 1915: Morozov mill strike
On this day, 2 October 1915, the mostly women workers at the weaving mill in Morozov, Russia walked out for a pay rise to compensate for the increasing cost of living. The strike spread to tens of thousands of other workers in nearby towns, who stayed out until 7 October when they received a 20%...
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1 October 2012: Estonia health workers strike
On 1 October 2012 health workers in Estonia began a strike for better pay and conditions. In particular, they were demanding a 23% pay increase for caretakers, 17.5% for nurses, and 11% for doctors. They also demanded reduced workloads, and pay for interns. At first, workers in Tallin and Tartu...
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30 September 1919: Daily Sketch workers censorship
On this day, 30 September 1919, compositors and pressmen working at The Daily Sketch newspaper in London refused to print the paper until an editorial criticising an ongoing railway strike was deleted. That same day, another newspaper had its publication delayed by its workers demanding that a...
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29 September 1909: Missoula free-speech fight
On this day, 29 September 1909, the revolutionary Industrial Workers of the World union began the first of what became known as the free speech fights, in Missoula, Montana. Members would publicly speak on the streets of the town in open defiance of a law banning public speaking. When one speaker...
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28 September 1991: Shankar Guha Niyogi assassinated
On this day, 28 September 1991, leading labour organiser Shankar Guha Niyogi was assassinated in his sleep at midnight in Bhilai, India. Niyogi, who had successfully led efforts to organize cement factory and contract coalminers, as well as establish health care and cultural programs for poor...
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27 September 1973: UFW wins strike
On this day, 27 September 1973, the United Farm Workers in California won their second strike in a jurisdictional dispute with the Teamsters union, when yet again the Teamsters were forced to concede the UFW's jurisdiction in organising farm workers. During the dispute one UFW striker was killed,...
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26 September 1939: Ricky Tomlinson born
On this day, 26 September 1939, the actor Ricky Tomlinson was born. Now famous for his roles in The Royle Family, Riff Raff and Mike Bassett: England Manager, he also participated in the 1972 building workers' strike. Following the dispute, Tomlinson was one of 24 building worker trade unionists...
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25 September 2005: South Korea sex workers union
On this day, 25 September 2005, sex workers in Gyeonggi province, South Korea, organised in the Democratic Coalition of Sex Workers, reached the first collective bargaining agreement with brothel owners in the country's history. Over the next five years, the union had grown to encompass some 220...
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24 September 1945: NYC elevator workers strike
On this day, 24 September 1945 in New York City, around 1.5 million workers got an impromptu day off when elevator workers in over 2,000 city high-rise buildings, including the Empire State building, went on strike against pay cuts, which workers said breached the contract recommendations of the...
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23 September 2017: Video game voice actors strike ends
On this day, 23 September 2017, the strike of video game voice actors in the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) against 11 US video game developers and publishers, including Activision, Electronic Arts, Disney and others, ended in a partial victory...
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22 September 1912: Casa del Obrero Mundial founded
On this day, 22 September 1912, the syndicalist union the Casa del Obrero Mundial (House of the World Worker) was formed in Mexico during the turbulent events of the revolution, despite repression by the then-government of Francisco Madero. However, the union later began supporting a capitalist...
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21 September 1945: US coal supervisors strike
On 21 September 1945, a strike began of supervisors in US coal mines demanding recognition for their union, the United Clerical, Technical and Supervisory Employees of the Mining Industry, part of the United Mine Workers of America. The strike began to spread, and rank-and-file coalminers stopped...
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20 September 1979: Aotearoa/New Zealand general strike
On this day, 20 September 1979, Aotearoa's (New Zealand's) only nationwide general strike took place when the Federation of Labour called a one-day strike of all its members in support of the Drivers Union. 300,000 people took to the streets around the country after a pay agreement between...
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19 September 1795: Curaçao slave revolt crushed
On this day, 19 September 1795, two enslaved people named Tula and Karpata who had been leading a revolt on the Dutch colony of Curaçao were betrayed and taken prisoner, effectively ending a month-long rebellion. They and two other leaders, Pedro Wakao and Louis Mercier were executed, and many...
About this show
Daily briefings of On This Day people's history anniversaries every day of the year. From the Working Class History team. Help support our work by joining us on patreon and accessing exclusive content and benefits: patreon.com/workingclasshistory
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