1913 Paterson silk strike

The 1913 Paterson silk strike was a work stoppage involving silk mill workers in Paterson, New Jersey. The strike, which involved demands for establishment of an eight-hour day and improved working conditions. The strike began on February 1, 1913, and ended six months later, on July 28.

Contents

History

The strike began on March 3, 1913. During the course of the strike, approximately 1,850 strikers were arrested, including Industrial Workers of the World leaders William Dudley Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.[1]

In an effort to support the strike financially, many artists based in Greenwich Village, New York, organized a pageant play in which the events of the strike were reenacted. The pageant was held at Madison Square Garden, and drew a large crowd.

Despite the long holdout and fundraising efforts, the strike ended in failure on July 28.

Legacy

The strike was featured in the 1981 film Reds. It is commemorated today at the Pietro and Maria Botto House National Landmark in Haledon, New Jersey, which served as a rallying point during the strike.[2] In 1934, there was another silk strike in Paterson.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Samuel Gompers Papers.
  2. ^ "Botto House/American Labor Museum". Pietro and Maria Botto House. http://www.passaiccountynj.org/parkshistorical/historical_attractions/bottohouse.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-30. "Once the home of Maria and Pietro Botto, immigrant silk workers from northern Italy, the landmark played a major role in the reform of the American workplace. During the Paterson Silk Strike of 1913, it served as a rallying point for thousands of striking workers and their families who advocated the eight-hour day and an end to child labor." 
  3. ^ "10,000 Leave Jobs In Paterson Mills; Silk Union Making Drive to Induce 7,000 Others to Join Walkout. Employers Threaten Court Action, Holding Contract Broken. 1,500 Idle in Hudson County.". New York Times. September 6, 1934. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30715FB3B5A107A93C4A91782D85F408385F9. Retrieved 2010-07-30. "More than 10,000 of Paterson's silk workers walked out today in answer to the national strike call of the United Textile Workers, according to Eli Keller, secretary of the local unit of the American Federation of Silk Workers." 

Further reading