Today In Labor History: April 9

Today In Labor History April 9, 1834: A silk workers began an insurrection in Lyon, France. This was the second of three Canut revolts. (The first is depicted in the feature image, above) Weaving craftsmen were called canuts. The canuts owned their own looms and employed apprentices. In February, the owners imposed a wage reduction. Consequently, numerous conflicts and strikes occurred and the police arrested many of the strike leaders. Their trials began in early April, inspiring the insurrection. The army occupied nearby towns and fired on unarmed protesters, who stormed the barracks and stole the guns. Adolphe Thiers, the Interior Minister, used a tactic he would later use against the Paris Commune. He abandoned the Lyon and then had it surrounded by troops. The Sanglante Semaine (Bloody Week) had begun. Uprisings broke out in neighboring towns, but the army put them all down by April 15.

April 9, 1894: A hunger revolt occurred in Lyon, France.

Today In Labor History April 9, 1927: The death sentences for Sacco and Vanzetti were upheld.

April 8, 1930: The IWW organized the 1700-member Leviathan, the world’s largest ship.

Today In Labor History April 9, 1970: Public school teachers went on strike in Minneapolis, despite a court order banning the walk out. (This was unlike today, where any threat of legal action gets the union bosses besmearing themselves). The Teachers were fighting for raises and the right to collectively bargain. The strike ended in a settlement that gave amnesty for the strikers (they had violated the law). (From Workday Minnesota)