Today in Labor History August 31, 1933: Italian American labor organizer and socialist, Giovanni Pippan, was murdered during his campaign to organize the Italian bread wagon drivers of Chicago. In 1921, he was beaten by fascists in Albona, Italy, while on his way to support striking miners. In response to this fascist attack, the workers of the region rose up, occupied all the mines, and declared the Albona Republic. They organized their own government and “red guard” to protect themselves from law enforcement. They managed the mines by themselves with the support of a section of farmers. 1 month later, the republic was violently crushed by the state. For his role, Pippan was threatened with death by the local fascists. He fled to the U.S. There, he helped organize the silk workers of Patterson, New Jersey; participated in the organization and defense of the anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti; and fought against fascist elements within the Italian-American community. #workingclass #LaborHistory #socialism #communism #italy #fascism #antifascism #antifa #giovannipippan #solidarity

Today in Labor History August 31, 1919: John Reed and others formed the Communist Labor Party of America in Chicago. The party evolved into the American Communist Party. Reed was a journalist and communist activist who extensively covered World War I. He was most famous for his coverage of the Russian Revolution and his book, “Ten Days That Shook the World.” He died in Moscow in 1920 from typhus. They gave him a hero’s welcome and buried him in Kremlin Wall Necropolis. Only two other Americans were given this honor: Big Bill Haywood, a founding member of the IWW, and C.E. Ruthenberg, founder of the Communist Party USA. John Dos Passos included a short biography of him in his “U.S.A.” trilogy. Uptain Sinclair called him the Revolution’s Playboy, elements of which can be seen in Warren Beaty’s portrayal of Reed in the film, “Reds.” Sergei Eisenstein made a film version of “Ten Days That Shook the World” in 1927. #workingclass #LaborHistory #johnreed #communism #russia #ussr #soviet #kremlin #IWW #journalism #writer #author #books @npub1wceq...lzu8

Today in Labor History August 31, 1909: Francisco Ferrer, the Spanish anarchist educator and creator of the first Modern Schools (Escuelas Modernas), was charged as “author in chief” of the uprising known as the “Tragic Week,” when the authorities slaughtered over 600 workers during a General Strike against the Spanish intervention in Morocco. He was executed on October 13, 1909, leading to worldwide condemnation. Hundreds of thousands of people participated in the protests that followed, while supporters created new Modern Schools throughout the world, including dozens in the U.S. While in prison, Ferrer wrote the following on his prison wall: “Let no more gods or exploiters be served. Let us learn rather to love each other.” And when facing the firing squad, he said: “Aim well, boys. I know this is not your fault. Long live the Modern School!” Francisco Ferrer opened his first Modern School (Escuela Moderna) on September 8, 1901, in Barcelona, Spain. His book, The Origin and Ideals of the Modern School, argued for the co-education of both boys and girls, as well as the rich and poor. During Ferrer’s days, the Spanish literacy rate was only 50% and all schools were church-regulated. The teachers at the Church-run schools emphasized rote memorization of Catholic dogma, were hostile to any scientific and political thinking that displeased the Church and often physically brutalized students. In contrast, Modern Schools purged their books of all religion and their curriculum was fully secular. These ideas were so popular that 40 more Modern Schools opened in Barcelona in just a few years, while 80 other schools adopted his textbooks. Read my essay on Ferrer and the history of the Modern School movement:

Michael Dunn

The Modern School Movement - Michael Dunn

Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More (Published in Fifth Estate, Spring 2022) In the wake of the punitive No Child Left Behind and Race to the...

#workingclass #LaborHistory #anarchism #modernschool #spain #franciscoferrer #education #prison

B/c they're winning the class war Lots of folks are working way more than 40 hr weeks Child labor laws are being crushed across the country Many are forced to work overtime w/out overtime pay Wage theft is rampant They're trying to gut OSHA >5000 workplace deaths/yr 2.5 million worker injuries/yr

Well, sort of.... Labor already had, and still has, May Day, celebrated in every country in the world except the US, commemorating the Haymarket affair and the anarchists who were wrongly convicted and executed in Chicago in the fight for the 8 hour work day. While the 1st Labor Day parade was in 1882, a few years before the Haymarket Affair, the nationally recognized federal holiday of Labor Day (1894) was largely a bone thrown to workers by President Cleveland and congress in the wake of the bloody Pullman strike, where federal troops and cops slaughtered 70 workers. And as a way to erase the radical anarchist and socialist roots of the labor movement in the US. #workingclass #LaborHistory #strike #anarchism #socialism #mayday #laborday #union #eighthourday #haymarket

Think Newsom is a good alternative to Trump? That his trolling of the Troll in Chief is a meaningful act of resistance to Trump's state abuse of the people? Think again. Newsom is deploying highway patrols to 6 regions, including the San Francisco Bay Area, to fight the non existent surge in crime, a fake crime wave manufactured by Trump that Newsom, himself, has mocked. In San Francisco and Oakland, for example, there have been recent drops in violent and property crime. So, why send in extra cops? Once again it seems to be a performative act to appeal to the center and right: (ie being tough on crime)

CalMatters

Newsom deploys 'crime suppression' teams statewide while mocking Trump's threats

The governor is making the first move in his battle with Trump over crime, sending CHP officers into six California cities.

#newsom #trump #crime #police