Shutdown? You call this a shutdown? Do you Teabaggers really think you have leverage? Let me show you who has the real leverage. This is the story of a real shutdown,the first general strike in the United States. Let' set the Wayback machine for Philadelphia 1835. This 100% American made story lies below the orange union label.
During the first week of June 1835 a circular from the Boston carpenters arrived on the docks of Philadelphia.
"We have been too long subjected to the odious, cruel, unjust and tyrannical system which compels the operative mechanic to exhaust his physical and mental powers. We have rights and duties to perform as American citizens and members of society, which forbid us to dispose of more than ten hours for a day's work".
The carpenters had just had their strike for a 10 hour day crushed. In sympathy the coal heavers of Philadelphia struck. 300 of these Irish longshoremen marched through the streets of Philadelphia They were soon joined by the leather dressers, printers, carpenters, bricklayers, masons, house painters, bakers, and others. On June 6, a mass meeting of workers, lawyers, doctors, and a few businessmen, was held in the State House courtyard. The meeting unanimously adopted a set of resolutions giving full support to the workers' demand for wage increases and a shorter workday, as well as increased wages for women workers and a boycottt of any coal merchant who worked his men more than ten hours. Out of concern for the welfare of the workers an editorial from the Germantown Telegraph said:
The brevity of only a sixty-hour week would be harmful to workers, that all the extra time would be applied to useless and unworthy purposes.
Work activity slowed as 20,000 workers joined the strike. When city public works employees joined the strike things ground to a screeching halt and the city caved. On June 22 the city announced:
"Hours of labour of the working men employed under the authority of the city corporation would be from 'six to six' during the summers season, allowing one hour for breakfast, and one for dinner.
The factory owners of Philadelphia followed suit. The success of the strike inspired workers in other cities to strike for a 10 hour day. The strikes spread down the east coast and beyond until the 10 hour day was the standard nation wide.
Fast forward to Mayday 1886. On May 1, 1886, there were massive strikes all over America. Months before, The Knights of Labor, the largest union of that day, had said that if their members didn't get the 8-hour day 6-day week by that date they would call for a nation-wide strike. On that day in Chicago 190,000 people demonstrated for the 8-hour day. There were 340,000 people demonstrating nation-wide.
For nine years of my life I was a union man. I was involved in 2 strikes. Our lords and masters don't care if you don't have health care or if your children don't have enough to eat. They won't give us anything unless we force them.