Today in Labor History February 26

1600s-1800s

Today in Labor History February 26, 1616: The Roman Catholic Church formally banned Galileo Galilei from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun. In 1633, they tried and convicted him of heresy. They imprisoned him for the rest of his life.

February 26, 1848: 29-year-old Karl Marx published “The Communist Manifesto” in London

1910s-1920s

Today in Labor History February 26, 1912: A coal strike began in Derbyshire, England. It developed into a nationwide General Strike on March 1. They were fighting for a minimum wage. After 37 days, the government gave them a minimum wage with the Coal Mines Act.

February 26, 1921: The anarchist Kronstadt uprising continued in Russia. On this date, they sent delegates to Petrograd in solidarity with strikes going on in that city.

1940s-1990s

Today in Labor History February 26, 1941: 14,000 workers struck at Bethlehem Steel’s Lackawanna mill in Buffalo, New York. As a defense contractor, the company had $1.5 billion worth of armament orders, but refused to pay the minimum wage mandated for government contracts. Furthermore, they had recently fired 1,000 workers. The pickets effectively stopped scabs from getting in. After less than 2 days, the company agreed to rehire the fired men and began talks on a raise and union recognition. However, a month later, they reneged.

February 26, 1992: Armenian armed forces opened fire on Azeri civilians, killing hundreds, during the Khojaly Massacre, which occurred during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

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