You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
Monday July 6, 1903
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Mother Jones and John Spargo to Lead "Children's Crusade"
Mother Jones
John Spargo, editor of
The Comrade is in Philadelphia assisting Mother Jones with her efforts to aid the 100,000 textile strikers. Both are frustrated that there is little press coverage of the strike. Efforts to raise money for the strikers have been disappointing, and the strikers' relief fund is running low.
Mother Jones states:
I asked the newspaper men why they didn't publish the facts about child labor in Pennsylvania. They said they couldn't because the mill owners had stock in the papers.
Mother replied:
Well, I've got stock in these little children!
The national tour of the Liberty Bell has given Mother the idea to arrange a tour for the little children who are striking for "some of the freedom of childhood." Mother Jones plans to leave from Kensington tomorrow with an "army" of 300 men, women, and children. They will head East. John Spargo will accompany the "Children Crusade" for the first few days.
SOURCES
Mother Jones
The Miners Angel
-by Dale Fetherling
So IL U Press, 1974
The Autobiography of Mother Jones
-ed by Mary Field Parton
Charles H Kerr Pub, 1990
Pittston Strike Commemorative Edition
The Comrade
-of August 1903
"Child Slaves of Philadelphia"
-by John Spargo
http://books.google.com/...
(Search with title of article, choose p.253)
Sunday July 6, 1913
Johannesburg, South Africa - Miners Massacred, more than 100 causalities.
Troops have opened fire on striking miners in this city. The death toll over the past few days could be 40 or more with more than 100 injured. The striking miners were given death sentences, apparently, for throwing rocks at the Rand Club.
Negotiations took place yesterday between the strike leaders and the Chairman of the East Rand Proprietary Mines. Gen. Louis Botha, ex-Premier of the Union of South Africa, also took part in the negotiations. An agreement was reached which will end the strike immediately.
SOURCE
The New York Times
-of June 6, 1913
http://select.nytimes.com/...
Saturday July 6, 2013
From the StarTribune: "San Francisco Bay Area Train Service Resumes"
OAKLAND, Calif. — Commuter rail service resumed Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area after unions called off a strike and agreed to extend a labor contract for a month while bargaining continues....
Josie Mooney, a chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021, asked the public to help keep the parties on task.
"We stand together tonight and we expect to be standing together with a new contract at the end of Aug. 4 and we hope to goodness that you insist that all the parties do the right thing," Mooney said....
Antonette Bryant, the ATU Local 1555 president, said late Thursday that BART is "on notice" and has 30 days to hammer out a new deal.
"We're not going to let them hijack us and the riding public and we are deeply sorry this had to happen," Bryant said.
Read full article here:
http://www.startribune.com/...
SEIU Local 1021
http://www.seiu1021.org/
ATU Local 1555
http://www.atu1555.org/
John Spargo:
Child slavery's awful curse eats at the vitals of the nation..
Beyond Their Years