Sunday, March 20, 2011

Oshkosh Woodworkes' Strike of 1898

This is a great read, and an important part of Wisconsin history. It's long, but it's another slice of our forgotten history. A 17 year old boy lost his life in this strike.

http://www.spicerweb.org/Pages/Oshkosh_wwstrike.aspx

Money quote:

The sheriff swore out warrants for the arrest of fifty strikers. The Daily Northwestern thought the arrest of these people would be most difficult, but the sheriff deputized several more men specifically for the task. Thomas Kidd bitterly assailed the sheriff, the chief of police, and especially George M. Paine. On the other side of the issue came lumberman papers and other newspapers in the state. They printed that the strike was unfortunate and disgraceful.

Big business and business-friendly press are rarely on the side of labor. Look no further than Fox News or the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel today.