Today in Labor History December 14, 1970: Strikes began in Gdansk, Poland, and spread to Gdynia, Szczecin, other industrial centers, with widespread factory occupations. Labor resistance and protest continued in Gdansk, leading to the formation of Solidarnosc, in the early 1980s, which ultimately toppled the Communist government once and for all in 1989. However, in 1970s, the Polish People’s Army quashed the strikes, killing at least 44 people. #workingclass #LaborHistory #solidarity #Solidarnosc #poland #communism #strike #union #repression #massacre

Today in Labor History December 14, 1951: Bagel Bakers Local 338, of the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union, went on strike in New York. They shut down 32 of the city’s 34 bagel bakeries. The remaining 2 bakeries could not keep up with the city’s 1.2 million per week demand for bagels. Lox sales dropped 30-50%. The strike lasted until February. The Bagel Bakers Local 338 was established in the early 20th century. Originally, it was comprised of an entirely Jewish workforce and conducted its meetings in Yiddish. The union controlled the bagel market for decades, until the 1960s, with the introduction of the automated Thompson Bagel Machine, which could produce 300 dozen bagels in the time that two men working together could roll 125 dozen. In the early 1970s, the union merged into a broader baker's union. #workingclass #LaborHistory #union #strike #yiddish #jewish #newyork #lowereastside

Today in Labor History December 14, 1852: Daniel DeLeon was born on this date in Curacao, West Indies. DeLeon was one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the Socialist Labor Party of America. He was also a leader of the Political action faction within the IWW that hoped to create socialism through the ballot box. Soon after the founding of the IWW, his faction lost out to the Direct Action faction, led by Big Bill Haywood, and eventually broke off to form the short-lived Workers International Industrial Union. His philosophy and writings influenced Socialist Labor Parties in Canada, the UK and Australia. #workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #directaction #socialism #danieldeleon #bigbillhaywood

Today in Labor History December 14, 1914: Antonio Ramon Ramon, an Anarchist from Grenada, Spain, attempted to assassinate Colonel Roberto Silva Renard. Silva was the architect of the Santa María de Iquique Massacre (1907), in which Ramón's half-brother had died. The Santa Maria Massacre, which killed up to 3,500 striking saltpeter miners, along with many wives and children, was Chile’s deadliest massacre. Ramon stabbed Silva seven times, but failed to kill him. When he was captured, he tried to kill himself by drinking strychnine, which he promptly puked back up. Workers held demonstrations and raised money for his defense. He was released from prison in 1919. There are no records of what became of him afterward. Silva was permanently injured from the attack. He became blind and was an invalid until his death in 1920. The accompanying image is called La Venganza (Revenge). It was created by Chilean artist Javier Rodriguez Pino. It shows a bearded man, naked from the waist up, holding a dagger. Rodriguez Pino created a collection of artwork for La Historia de Antonio Ramon Ramon. He has also done artwork depicting Pinochet’s reign of terror. For more of his artwork: https://www.javierodriguezpino.com/copia-de-ruinas #workingclass #LaborHistory #anarchism #chile #santamaria #massacre #strike #union