Thoughts

On this day, 25 February 1913, silk mill workers in Paterson and Clifton, New Jersey went on strike demanding an eight-hour day and improved working conditions. The strike began as a walkout at the Doherty Mill over the introduction of the four-loom system – making workers work on four looms rather than two. It soon became a general strike under the leadership of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union in which 25,000 workers participated, many of whom were immigrant women and children, from almost all of Paterson’s 300 mills and dye houses. On the very first day IWW organiser Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was arrested after giving a talk on uniting strikers across racial boundaries. During the course of the five-month strike, approximately 1,850 strikers were arrested. The workers also withstood police violence and an attempt by the American Federation of Labor to undermine the strike. In the end, while the strike was successful in preventing the introduction of the four-loom system at that time, it was unsuccessful in its other demands, and after the defeat IWW organisation in the area was largely broken. More information, sources and map on our Stories web app: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9732/1913-paterson-silk-strike-starts https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2218484405003364/?type=3

Best comeback line ever.

Capitalism is pure hypocrisy. They're not even trying to hide it. They openly declare "we're allowed to only care about money but you aren't", and people still support them. People still think capitalism is freedom. People still think capitalism benefits everyone.

Also companies: “How dare you walk away from a job without giving us notice that you’re quitting! How dare you only care about how much we’re paying you! Don’t you understand that we’re a FaMiLy?!”

Proletarian ethical questions need proletarian philosophy but how could we make that philosophy dominate the thinking of the majority of people's consciousness??? 🤔🤔🤔

— Marx - Capital Vol 1 Ch.16

Subtle!

Diego Rivera     Industrial Workers, from the “Detroit Industry” Murals, Detroit Institute of the Arts     1932

On this day, 24 July 2009, 3,000 steel workers in Tonghua, China rioted and beat an executive to death when threatened with privatisation and job losses. Jianlong Steel Holding Company official Chen Guojun, who earned over 3 million yuan the previous year, planned to take over the majority state-owned Tonghua Iron and Steel Group. He announced plans to cut the number of workers from 30,000 down to around 5,000, with those made redundant receiving around 200 yuan in compensation. The firm was still profitable, but the planned restructuring was aimed at increasing profits further amidst a global economic downturn. Outraged, the workers shut down production and rioted, beating Chen, blocking roads and smashing police cars to prevent police and ambulances from reaching him. The sale was subsequently scrapped. https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2041805669337906/?type=3

You're saying you don't want other people to have any, because then you'd have to have less. Given a theoretical choice between a system that's not ideal but does serve everyone, and one that serves some well and some not at all, you prefer the latter.

If there aren't enough resources to care for everyone immediately, then the first to receive care should be those with the biggest emergencies, not those who are richer.

link to thread

All that "tyranny of the majority" and "protect minority rights" was, from its inception, the rights of the rich to rule over the poor. I have more thoughts on that, but im at work, so later.

- From Rosa Luxemburg’s last known article, written hours before her arrest and murder

- J. V. Stalin, Anarchism or Socialism? (1907)