Today in Labor History—May 17

May 17, 1838 - The first women’s anti-slavery conference was held in Philadelphia. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 17, 1858 –1,200 Coeur d'Alene, Palouse, Spokane & Skitswich Indians defeated Colonel Steptoe’s forces near Colfax, WA. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1900 – Following the relief of Mafeking, 26,000 Boer women and children died in the world's first concentration camps. (From the Daily Bleed)

Thomas Mooney, 1910

May 17, 1917 – Tom Mooney's scheduled date of execution was stayed while case was appealed. Mooney ultimately spent 22 years in prison for the San Francisco Preparedness Day Parade bombing in 1916, a crime he did not commit. Mooney, along with codefendant Warren Billings, were members of the IWW and were railroaded because of their union affiliation. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1947 –President Truman ended a nation-wide railroad strike by threatening to take over the railroads and send in the army. (From Shmoop Labor History website)

May 17, 1954 – In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Kansas), the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" public education was unconstitutional, and a violation of the 14th Amendment. The ruling reversed the 1896 "separate but equal" Plessy vs Ferguson decision. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1968 – Thousands of students marched for the second day in a row from the Sorbonne to the Renault works in spite of the opposition of the trade unions which were afraid of revolutionary contamination. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1968 – BOAC pilots in England began a work-to-rule, 48 hours earlier than originally planned. (From the Daily Bleed)

Today in Labor History—May 17

May 17, 1838 - The first women’s anti-slavery conference was held in Philadelphia. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 17, 1858 –1,200 Coeur d'Alene, Palouse, Spokane & Skitswich Indians defeated Colonel Steptoe’s forces near Colfax, WA. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1900 – Following the relief of Mafeking, 26,000 Boer women and children died in the world's first concentration camps. (From the Daily Bleed)

Thomas Mooney, 1910

May 17, 1917 – Tom Mooney's scheduled date of execution was stayed while case was appealed. Mooney ultimately spent 22 years in prison for the San Francisco Preparedness Day Parade bombing in 1916, a crime he did not commit. Mooney, along with codefendant Warren Billings, were members of the IWW and were railroaded because of their union affiliation. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1947 –President Truman ended a nation-wide railroad strike by threatening to take over the railroads and send in the army. (From Shmoop Labor History website)

May 17, 1954 – In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Kansas), the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" public education was unconstitutional, and a violation of the 14th Amendment. The ruling reversed the 1896 "separate but equal" Plessy vs Ferguson decision. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1968 – Thousands of students marched for the second day in a row from the Sorbonne to the Renault works in spite of the opposition of the trade unions which were afraid of revolutionary contamination. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1968 – BOAC pilots in England began a work-to-rule, 48 hours earlier than originally planned. (From the Daily Bleed)

The Brits and French Are Doing It. Why Won’t We Do It?

Teachers in the United Kingdom have overwhelmingly approved a strike action on June 30, according to the Teacher Solidarity website. Teachers in England and Wales are facing massive cuts to their pension entitlement. Under the new plan, their pension contributions may rise by more than 50%, while the retirement age may rise to 68. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) voted 92% in favor of the strike, and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) voted 83% in favor. They will be joined on the picket line by civil servants in the PCS union and the university and higher education union UCU. Other public sector unions are also considering strikes, including the largest public sector union UNISON, which is planning a strike action for the autumn.

Meanwhile, French teachers are planning to go on strike in September. The government plans to replace only half the teachers who retire this summer, resulting in a cut of 16,000 jobs.

Today in Labor History—May 17

May 17, 1838 - The first women’s anti-slavery conference was held in Philadelphia. (From Workday Minnesota)

May 17, 1858 –1,200 Coeur d'Alene, Palouse, Spokane & Skitswich Indians defeated Colonel Steptoe’s forces near Colfax, WA. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1900 – Following the relief of Mafeking, 26,000 Boer women and children died in the world's first concentration camps. (From the Daily Bleed)

Thomas Mooney, 1910

May 17, 1917 – Tom Mooney's scheduled date of execution was stayed while case was appealed. Mooney ultimately spent 22 years in prison for the San Francisco Preparedness Day Parade bombing in 1916, a crime he did not commit. Mooney, along with codefendant Warren Billings, were members of the IWW and were railroaded because of their union affiliation. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1947 –President Truman ended a nation-wide railroad strike by threatening to take over the railroads and send in the army. (From Shmoop Labor History website)

May 17, 1954 – In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Kansas), the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" public education was unconstitutional, and a violation of the 14th Amendment. The ruling reversed the 1896 "separate but equal" Plessy vs Ferguson decision. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1968 – Thousands of students marched for the second day in a row from the Sorbonne to the Renault works in spite of the opposition of the trade unions which were afraid of revolutionary contamination. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 17, 1968 – BOAC pilots in England began a work-to-rule, 48 hours earlier than originally planned. (From the Daily Bleed)

Off With His Head

Off With His Head (image by Alaskan dude)

Ostentatious Wealth and Grandiose Ignorance  

                                                                     

Protesters chanting “Off With His Head,” attacked Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Wednesday, as his chauffer idiotically attempted to maneuver his Rolls Royce through a demonstration of thousands of angry students. Protesters threw paint, smashed a window, and hurled sticks at the royal couple, as they attempted to make their way to the theater. Throughout the ordeal, The Royal Moron continued to smile and wave, even proffering the thumbs-up, as if completely oblivious to the fact that he and his ostentatious vehicle symbolize precisely the sort of parasitic wealth that was fueling the students’ anger.

Cops Bash in Student’s Brain

The protest had started outside parliament and was immediately met with extreme police brutality. Riot cops “kettled” protesters in Parliament Square, trapping them within a police cordon, and assaulting them on foot and on horseback. Alfie Meadows, a 20-year old student, was carried away unconscious, with serious head injuries. He later had to undergo emergency brain surgery. A student with cerebral palsy was dragged from his wheel chair and roughed up, too. He told journalists that their obsession with violence was not only misleading the public (thousands of protesters had broken free of the police cordon and continued to march peacefully, without incident), but it was fanning the flames of police violence against students, by making it seem deserved.

Photo by Andrew Moss

It should be noted that millions of students have been protesting peacefully across the country against the trebling of university fees. High school and middle school age children have been joining the protests. Students are outraged not only by the fee hikes, but the host of austerity measures being hoisted upon the British people in order to pay for a budget deficit caused by government and corporate irresponsibility and greed.

The media have characterized the students as violent, anarchic and naïve. Prime Minister David Cameron said that the protesters “came determined to provoke violence. . . They must face the full force of the law.”

Yet it is the government who should take responsibility. The violence was provoked by the police, not the protesters. The cops “kettled” protesters, detaining everyone in the vicinity without charge or access to food, water and toilets, and then they assaulted them. People act outraged that protesters attacked the prince, yet if the police had done their homework, they should never have allowed the prince to drive through a mass protest.

The Escalating Class War

The extreme police violence meted out against protesters, and the government and media frenzy to justify it, all come at a time of rapidly growing popular discontent throughout Europe and the U.S. Student protests in Italy have also been savagely attacked by police, while workers and students have also been assailed in France, Germany, Spain, and Ireland in recent months.

The ruling elite recognize that they have crossed a line in terms of the brazenness and greed of their looting and pillaging. They are expecting increasing opposition and they are ready to use as much force as it takes to defend their property and their profits.  

Photo by binary ape

Will American Students and Workers take to the streets in similar numbers when the austerity measures really hit here?