1912day.year
Immigrant textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, go on strike when wages are reduced in response to a mandated shortening of the work week.
In 1912, textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, many recent immigrants, launched a major strike after wage cuts sparked by a shorter work week.
Beginning on January 11, 1912, thousands of textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, many of them recent European immigrants, walked off the job in protest against wage reductions. The mill owners had cut pay to offset a new law that shortened the work week, igniting the “Bread and Roses” strike. Workers organized mass demonstrations, parades, and appeals for public support, drawing nationwide attention. The strike highlighted issues of labor rights, fair wages, and immigrant struggles in the industrial era. After ten weeks of picketing and negotiation, the workers won several concessions, including wage increases and the firing of oppressive foremen. The Lawrence Strike became a landmark event in American labor history and inspired future labor movements.
1912
Lawrence, Massachusetts
go on strike