Today in Labor History November 14, 1918: Striking workers were gunned down in Granges, Switzerland during a General Strike of over 250,000 workers. Some of their demands were universal women’s suffrage, a 48-hour week, old age and disability insurance, and forcing the rich to pay off the nation’s debt. Women still did not have full suffrage until 1990 in some parts of Switzerland. #workingclass #LaborHistory #switzerland #strike #GeneralStrike #women #worldwarone #antiwar #massacre #union

November 14, 1916: Margaret Sanger was arrested for operating a birth control clinic. She also created the American Birth Control League, 1921, which would later become Planned Parenthood. Ironically, she opposed abortions and, as a nurse, refused to participate in them. She also supported eugenics. #workingclass #LaborHistory #margaretsanger #feminism #birthcontrol #choice #abortion #eugenics #racism #plannedparenthood

Today in Labor History November 14, 1903: The National Women's Trade Union League formed in Boston. Their goals were to get more women unionized and to end sweat shops. They supported many of the major strikes of the 1900s-1910s and helped pave the way for the ILGWU and ACWA. They were influenced by the settlement house movement and Jane Addams. And they also fought for women’s suffrage. The WTUL played a major role in the Uprising of the 20,000, the New York City and Philadelphia shirtwaist workers' strike. They provided a strike headquarters, raised funds for soup kitchens and bail for picketers, provided legal defense for arrested picketers, marched on the picket lines, and organized marches to publicize the workers' demands. #workingclass #LaborHistory #strike #feminism #women #SweatShops #union

14 million lives could be lost due to Trump cuts to USAID. But the Shutdown of USAID Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands. Trump could go down in history as one of the top 10 deadliest regimes in history along with the Bush/Cheney regime. https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5452513/trump-usaid-foreign-aid-deaths

The New Yorker

The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands

The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.

#trump #usaid #poverty #massmurder

Transgender Awareness Week November 13-19: a week-long celebration and awareness event to raise visibility and awareness of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people across the world. As well as raising awareness of the issues that these communities can face, it’s also a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of those who identify as trans. Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, originally held in the US in 1999 as a vigil to honor the lives of two black transgender women, Rita Hester and Chanelle Pickett, who had been murdered in previous years. #lgbtq #transgender #TransRightsAreHumanRights #ProtectTransYouth #solidarity

Today in Labor History November 13, 1909: The Cherry Coal Mine Disaster in Illinois resulted in the deaths of 259 men and boys. Nearly 200 men and boys made it to safety. Another 21 survived 8 days underground, drinking water from the seams to stay alive and eventually made it back alive, although one of them later died from complications. John Bundy made 6 successful trips back down into the mine to rescue comrades. On the 7th trip down, he, too, died. #workingclass #LaborHistory #coal #mining #disaster #workplacesafety #hero #childlabor

Today in Labor History November 13, 1922: A railway workers' strike in Guayaquil, Ecuador grew into a general strike, which lasted 3 days and culminated in a massacre on Nov 15, when Police and military shot down over 300 workers. Trolley workers continued to strike throughout November, eventually winning many of their demands. #workingclass #LaborHistory #Guayaquil #GeneralStrike #union #strike #police #PoliceBrutality #PoliceMurder #massacre

Today in Labor History November 13, 1947: The USSR completed development of the AK-47, or Automatic Kalashnikov, 1947. Today, 70 years later, it remains one the most popular rifles in the world due to its low cost and reliability, even under harsh conditions. This has also made them the weapon of choice for rebel and guerilla armies. #workingclass #LaborHistory #ak47 #soviet #guerilla #kalashnikov