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On This Day in Working Class History

Working Class History

Daily briefings of On This Day people's history anniversaries every day of the year. From the Working Class History team.
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Today · 59 sec
17 September 1941: Canada bans strikes
On this day, 17 September 1941, the Canadian government essentially made all strikes in "war industries" illegal. The new order further made it that if any worker went on strike contrary to the new regulations, or encouraged or incited others to...
- Transcript
Yesterday · 1 min
16 September 1937: Kirkintilloch tragedy
On this day, 16 September 1937, ten young migrants from Achill Island, Ireland died in a shed fire in Kirkintilloch, Scotland. A group of 26 young migrant workers, many of whom were siblings, were part of the many migrants looking for temporary work...
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Tuesday · 1 min
15 September 1978: Inco strike
On this day, 15 September 1978, a strike of 11,600 workers in Sudbury, Canada, began after the mining company Inco Ltd. proposed layoffs and cuts to pay and benefits. Concessions won were a "thirty-and-out" policy (whereby workers with thirty years at...
- Transcript
Monday · 1 min
14 September 1889: Navassa miners' rebellion
On 14 September 1889 a rebellion of Black miners began on Navassa Island, a US territory in the Caribbean. 137 Black workers from the US had been hired to mine guano, then a crucial agricultural fertiliser, working under 11 white supervisors. The...
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Sunday · 2 min
13 September 1943: Belle Vue Harel strike
On this day, 13 September 1943, workers on the Belle Vue Harel sugar estate in Mauritius went on strike demanding a pay increase. After sugar strikes in 1937, the British colonial government set up a conciliation mechanism for industrial disputes. At...
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Saturday · 1 min
12 September 2012: Georgia prison protests
On this day, 12 September 2012 (content note: sexual violence), TV channels broadcast video showing systemic torture and sexual assault of inmates in the Gldani prison number eight in Tbilisi, Georgia, resulting in mass protests. Thousands of people...
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Friday · 1 min
11 September 2017: Kenya taxi strike
On this day, 11 September 2017, in Nairobi, Kenya, drivers for rideshare services Taxify, Little and Mondo-Ride joined Uber drivers on an indefinite strike demanding a cut in commission rates. Earlier in the year, Uber had been forced to increase...
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September 10 · 54 sec
10 September 1979: McDonald's strikers win
On this day, 10 September 1979, McDonald's workers in Dublin, Ireland ended their six-month strike and returned to work after winning a 24% pay increase and forcing the company to agree to Labour Court recommendations. More information, sources and...
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September 9 · 2 min
9 September 1739: Stono rebellion
On this day, 9 September 1739, the Stono rebellion began in South Carolina, the largest uprising of enslaved people in the mainland British colonies. A literate enslaved man named Jemmy (or Cato) marched with 22 others, mostly from central Africa,...
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September 8 · 1 min
8 September 1941: Norwegian milk strike
On this day, 8 September 1941 the Norwegian Melkestreiken (milk strike) took place against the occupying Nazi authorities. Workers arriving for work on Monday found that their already-reduced milk ration had been cut completely. Workers at a shipyard...
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September 7 · 1 min
7 September 1977: Mohan Nagar clashes
On this day, 7 September 1977, violent clashes took place between workers and bosses’ thugs at a machine-tool factory in Mohan Nagar, India. Workers protested against unfair deductions to wages outside the plant but were attacked by armed security...
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September 6 · 1 min
6 September 2008: Boeing workers strike
On this day, 6 September 2008, 27,000 Boeing assembly workers went on strike over pay and outsourcing. The workers, based in Kansas, Oregon, and Washington stayed out for eight weeks, costing the company $100 million per day, until they won a 15% pay...
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September 5 · 1 min
5 September 2013: Saint Helena Airport strike
On 5 September 2013 it was reported that South African workers employed in the construction of the Saint Helena airport went on strike. Reportedly, workers were unhappy with prefabricated steel huts which were to be their accommodation. It is unclear...
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September 4 · 1 min
4 September 1936: Trocadero Grill strike
On this day, 4 September 1936, employees walked off the job at Trocadero Grill in Vancouver, demanding a wage increase. Bosses hired scabs to replace the striking workers, but customers supported the strike with a boycott. After one week, management...
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September 3 · 1 min
3 September 1940: Eduardo Hughes Galeano born
On this day, 3 September 1940, Uruguayan radical author and journalist Eduardo Hughes Galeano was born in Montevideo. He was imprisoned following the military coup in the country in 1973, and forced into exile in Argentina. His book Open Veins of...
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September 2 · 1 min
2 September 1963: Philippines Airlines strike
On this day, 2 September 1963 workers at Philippines Airlines walked out on strike. Within a few days, major international airlines were forced to boycott Manila airport to avoid disruption from pickets. The government of Diosdado Macapagal, which was...
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September 1 · 1 min
1 September 1974: Newark Labour Day riots
On this day, 1 September 1974, Puerto Rican attendees at a Labour Day event in Newark, New Jersey rioted against police after years of brutality, as well as poor living and economic standards. An argument between festival goers and police escalated...
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August 31 · 1 min
31 August 1972: Shrewsbury Builders strike meeting
On this day, 31 August 1972, a meeting of striking building workers in the Chester and North Wales Action Committee was held at the Bull & Stirrup pub in Chester, North West England. During this meeting, it was decided to send six coaches of...
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August 30 · 1 min
30 August 1908: Birmingham coal strike ends
On this day, 30 August, 1908, union officials of the United Mine Workers called off a strike by Black and white coalminers in Birmingham, Alabama, four days after the Governor sent in the army to evict the strikers' tent colony and following a violent...
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August 29 · 58 sec
29 August 2016: Curaçao oil workers strike
On this day, 29 August 2016, 600 oil refinery workers on the Caribbean island of Curaçao walked out demanding a pay increase. The strike continued for over two weeks, until a general strike broke out in its support. Faced with closed schools, shops,...
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