May Day, Governor Rusk, and the Working ClassBy Edward Barlow, Section Historical Perspectives
According to the Wisconsin Historical Marker at the north end of Viroqua, Governor Jeremiah Rusk, a local hero and resident, was widely acclaimed for suppressing the "Milwaukee Riots" and for his statement "I seen my duty and I done it." What Milwaukee riots? What duty? Duty to whom? Widely acclaimed by whom?
Picture: Wisconsin national guardsmen at the E.P. Allis steel works during the strikes (from: Website "A Labor History Sesquicentennial Project of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Labor Education and Training Center, Inc.") Click full story for the whole history...
In US labor history, whenever the Working Class tried to have a fairer share in the profits that their labor, hard work, sacrifices, and misery generated, the Business/Investor Class almost always bitterly and often violently opposed them.
On May 1, 1886 tens of thousands of workers throughout the United States went on strike for an eight hour work day. At that time a typical work day was ten, twelve or even sixteen hours, six or seven days a week with poor pay and little or no benefits. The Business/Investor Class, living, profiting, and accumulating more capital and wealth off the labor of the Working Class, bitterly opposed the eight hour work day because it would cut into their profits, dividends, and privileged life styles. In Milwaukee, fifteen thousand factory workers were part of this nationwide strike. On May 5, Governor Jeremiah Rusk ordered the National Guard to "fire on them" and get the strikers back to work. According to the Milwaukee Journal eight were killed outright. Many more were wounded. Some died later. "Conservative" historians, representing the Business/Investor Class, call this strike the Milwaukee "Riots". Working Class "Liberal" historians call it the Milwaukee or Bayview "Massacre". The workers went back to work. The Businessmen and Investors started collecting their profits and dividends again. Many strikers were later punished in court or fired from their jobs. Governor Rusk was widely acclaimed for his actions in suppressing the workers and their demands. Widely acclaimed by whom? The working class? No, by the owner/business class and their "Profits before People philosophy". The eight hour day, forty hour work week did not become Federal Law until 1940. Duty to whom? Was it Governor Rusk's "duty" to keep the Working Class working long hours so the Business/Investor Class could live, profit, and accumulate more capital off their labor? What about his duty to America's democracy? The "democratic majority" of Wisconsin and the United States was the Working Class. Obviously, as governor, Rusk felt his "duty" was to the Business/Investor Class. The same is true today. The class war continues. Today, many Working Class families, single mothers, and many others have to work two or three jobs to barely make ends meet. This is effectively rolling back the eight hour day, forty hour work week that so many Working Class people fought for since Rusk's time. Today, one out of every three American wage earners earn $10.00 an hour or less. The Business/Investor Class opposes raising the minimum wage or implementing a "living wage" because it will cut into their huge profits, dividends, and life styles. |
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