1902 Paterson silk dyers strike

none January 2024 January 2024 thumb|Map of Paterson, New Jersey 1900 A strike of silk dyers in Paterson, New Jersey, from April to June 1902, spilled over into the wider New Jersey textile industry. Background At the turn of the 20th century, Italians were the predominant immigrant nationality in Paterson's silk industry. The silk dyers' helpers, an unskilled trade, were mainly from southern Italy and formed the center of Paterson's Italian community. The silk dyers' militant tradition extended from the radical political tradition of immigrants from northern Italy. In the 1890s, Paterson was known as the international home of Italian anarchism. The Paterson Italian community was willing to defend itself against anti-Italian prejudices of the public and police, even if it meant resorting to violence. The community banded together through their conflicts with management and police.Golin 1988 25–26 Weavers had far more strikes than dye workers in the 1890s. As management could more easily replace and break the strike of unskilled dye workers, dye worker strikes tended to be bigger, such as the property destruction at the hands of dye workers in the 1894 ribbon weavers' strike.Golin 1988 26 History On April 23, 1902, a walkout of silk dyers in Paterson, New Jersey, started a strike. The strike targeted Paterson's two biggest dye firms, Jacob Weidmann and the National Silk Dyeing Company, both of whom opposed collective bargaining.Falk 2004 1902 What began with twenty workers from two firms spread to gunshot injuries to three Italian workers and one policeman at one plant.Golin 1988 26 Smaller firms settled with the strikers. While the silk dyers supported each other, other silk industry workers did not support the strike and the industry's subcontracting to Pennsylvania factories mitigated its impact. The local newspaper Paterson Guardian supported the employers.Falk 2004 1902 Though the strike was waning by June, thousands of workers attended a rally on June 18 in Belmont Park, in Haledon, New Jersey, with speakers including Luigi Galleani, William MacQueen, and Rudolf Grossmann. The rally dissipated into riots in the Paterson mill district. In the police gunfire, Galleani was shot in the face and absconded to Canada. Paterson declared martial law and brought in the National Guard, ending both the riots and the strike.Falk 2004 1902 Legacy The strike was the Paterson's bloodiest.Golin 1988 25–26 References Bibliography Falk Candace Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years, Vol. 2: Making Speech Free, 1902–1909 2004 en 978-0-520-22569-5 University of California Press Berkeley mdy-all Golin Steve The Fragile Bridge: Paterson Silk Strike, 1913 1988 http://archive.org/details/fragilebridgepat0000goli en 978-0-87722-534-8 Temple University Press Philadelphia mdy-all Goyens Tom Beer and Revolution: the German Anarchist Movement in New York City, 1880–1914 Beer and Revolution 2007 University of Illinois Press 978-0-252-03175-5 Urbana Category:1902 labor disputes and strikes Category:1902 in New Jersey Category:1900s strikes in the United States Category:History of Paterson, New Jersey Category:Textile and clothing labor disputes in the United States Category:Labor disputes in New Jersey Category:April 1902 in the United States Category:May 1902 in the United States Category:June 1902 in the United States