You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
Sunday June 21, 1903
From The Outlook: "Forced Labor in West Virginia"
This is Part II of our discussion of the article by Gino C. Speranza which appeared in the June 13th issue of The Outlook.
Yesterday we were relieved to see that the men, tied up by the contractor and bound to a mule to be dragged back to the work camp, were cut free by "the squire" who had issued the arrest warrants. But yet, that same officer of the court urged the men to return to the camp to work out their "debt." No action was taken against the contractor who had no authority to tie them up and drag them away at the point of a gun.
Mr. Speranza came to West Virginia from New York this past April as an investigator for the Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants. He found this sort of maltreatment to be the rule and not the exception. The demand for labor exceeds the supply in West Virginia, and, rather than recruiting workers through good pay and decent working conditions, the contractors choose these brutal methods to retain their labor force.
The men arrive already in debt for the cost of their transportation. More debt is piled on for the cost of food and shelter, such as it is. The workers are even charged for the expense to the company of hiring the brutal company gun thugs that hold them in bondage.
Mr. Speranza heard much testimony regarding the brutality of the company gun thugs. The men describe being beaten with iron bars and gun butts. They are marched to work with rifles pointed at their backs. They are beaten if they cannot keep up. They are beaten for requesting help with heavy loads. Should they be injured in the lifting of such a load, there is no compensation.
This testimony was taken under oath by an Italian laborer who was captured with a group of men attempting to escape from one of the West Virginia work camps:
My attention was drawn to the other side of the creek, where an Italian was shouting for help-appealing to us as fellow-countrymen to aid him. He had been felled by a blow of a heavy stick dealt him by one of the guards. Cervi, my friend, and I tried to cross over to help him, but were prevented by our boss, who drove us back at the point of a pistol; all I dared do was to shout to him not to resist or he would be killed, and to go back; the man who had struck him lifted him bodily by his coat and pushed him on, striking him every time he stumbled or fell from exhaustion.
SOURCE
The Outlook
-of June 13, 1903
(
pdf!)
http://www.unz.org/...
Saturday June 21, 1913
Paterson, New Jersey - Hannah Silverman, "The Joan d' Arc of the Silk Strike"
Hannah Silverman
Seventeen-year-old Hannah Silverman appeared before Judge Kleinert yesterday. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn has referred to this young striker as the "Joan d' Arc of the Silk Strike." The Judge has a different view. He advised Miss Silverman that her conduct has caused great sorrow to her parents. He offered to excuse her this one time due to her youth. However, he promised that he would send her to the State Home for Girls at Trenton should she offend again. All of Miss Silverman's strike duties are most offensive to this Judge. It seems, he likes the Silk Workers best when they close their mouths and bow their heads and work the hours at the wages set for them by the Silk Manufacturers of Paterson.
SOURCE
The New York Times
-of June 21, 1913
http://select.nytimes.com/...
See also:
The War in Paterson, Stories
http://makingpatersonstrike.org/...
Friday June 21, 2013
Email from BCTGM E-Activist Network: Demand Action for Panera Bakers
The Panera baker’s story affects everyone in America who cares about their right to stand up for themselves at work:
More than a year since they voted to form a union, Panera workers in Michigan are still waiting. The franchisee that owns the Panera Bread stores in the region refused to recognize the BCTGM as the official representative of the bakers and refused to meet to bargain a first contract. The NLRB found that Panera broke the law by refusing to bargain, and ordered the company to bargain with the bakers. But the company appealed that ruling to the D.C. Circuit Court, which has put the case on hold because of another ruling about President Obama’s three recess appointments to the NLRB. So the workers are still waiting for justice.
The Board protected the workers’ right to join the BCTGM. But the Board’s power to enforce the laws that protect workers is at risk. If the Senate does not act quickly to confirm all five of President Obama’s NLRB nominees, it will be impossible for workers like the ones at Panera Bread in Michigan to get the justice they deserve.
What Can You Do?
Join the Panera workers and supporters for a solidarity rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan tomorrow FRIDAY, June 21 and help us spread the word!
(pdf!)Download the event flier
Share the event sticker on Facebook and Twitter
RSVP to this event on Facebook (and share with your friends!)
Follow hashtags #PaneraUnionYes and #GiveUs5 on Twitter, and join the conversation with these sample Tweets:
#Solidarity rally for #Panera Workers in SW Michigan #PaneraUnionYes #GiveUsFive
Michigan Panera Bakers Unite to Demand Justice #PaneraUnionYes #GiveUs5
Mich. Panera Bakers’ fight a prime example of why Sen. needs to confirm NLRB nominees NOW! #PaneraUnionYes #GiveUs5
Sign the Petition:
Give Us Five! All workers deserve the protections of the law.
http://giveus5nlrb.org/
More information:
http://panerabakersunite.wordpress.com/
The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union
http://www.bctgm.org/
Please note: It is too late to attended the rally, but it is not too late to support these fellow workers through the other Solidarity Actions requested.
Thank you all for all that you do!
JayRaye
"To the working class she's a precious pearl."
The Rebel Girl as written by Joe Hill & sung by Mats Paulson