minewar.org documenting the 1930's Illinois Mine War
Posts Tagged ‘Jack Battuello’
Sit-Down In Wilsonville ~ Part II
One might wonder, why don’t workers use sit-down strikes today? As I pointed out in an earlier post, sit-down strikes were an extremely effective way for workers to gain leverage at the point of production and win concessions. Yet today strikes are quite rare and sit-downs are nearly non-existent in the U.S. The reason for […]
Sit-Down In Wilsonville
The 74th anniversary of the 1937 Wilsonville Sit-Down Strike is quickly approaching and merits attention. While many labor actions are spurred by the struggle for better wages or working conditions, this strike was set in motion for a different reason. In his memoirs Jack Battuello recalls: “Whenever they mechanized a mine with one type of […]
“Gimme That Rifle.”
Here’s an excerpt from the audio memoirs of Jack Battuello on mine war violence. Press play to listen: [audio:http://minewaro.startlogic.com/Word_Press/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/blog_gimme_that_rifle.mp3|titles=”Gimme That Rifle.”] “I was in Taylorville on half a dozen occasions. And on those occasions we picketed. And I recall that the first time, the first time that I went to Taylorville and become among the […]
Falling Backwards
“It was not unusual for the mine executive to come to the mine and conduct an investigation if a mule was injured or killed. But no such investigation ever took place when a miner was killed.” ~ Jack Battuello describes 1920’s mining conditions in Illinois. Labor unions are commonly considered in a narrow light; organizations […]