Today in labor history May 30 Police open fire on striking steelworkers many were shot in the back

[Omaha Steve]

May 30


May 30, 1937 - At the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago, police attacked strikers, killing 10 and wounding 100. Many were shot in the back. The event became known as the “Memorial Day massacre.” A subsequent Congressional investigation, led by Wisconsin Senator Robert LaFollette Jr., found the brutal suppression was unprovoked and exposed the extent to which companies would go to bust unions.

The Ground Zero cleanup at the site of the World Trade Center is completed 3 months ahead of schedule due to the heroic efforts of more than 3,000 building tradesmen & women who had worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for the previous 8 months – 2002

[pnorman]

1. Thanks, Steve! I had almost forgotten that!

Here's some more detail: http://academic.csuohio.edu/clevelandhistory/Issue3/articles/steelpage4content.htm

Photos here: http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/esstmemdaymass.html
and here: http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/memdaymasscr.htm

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL

pnorman
Edited to add some more detail: http://chilaborarts.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/background-on-memorial-day-massacre-527-event/