Friday's Labor Folklore

Remembering Martin Irons Immigrated from Dundee, Scotland at age 14. After an apprecticeship in New York City he became a machinist.    In 1884 he was employed in a railway shop in Sedalia, Missouri.   Joined the Knights of Labor and organized District Assembly 101.  On March 1, 1886 Irons led a strike against the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads involving more than 200,000 workers. These railroads were owned by Jay Gould, one of the most ruthless industrialists of the day.  At least 10 people were killed. The workers could not hold out and when the strike was crushed the demise of the Knights of Labor was hastened. From out of its ashes rose the American Federation of Labor.

Martin Irons (1827-1900) In him was reflected the spirit of revolt then manifest among the workers. Photo: Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress Knights of Labor An injury to one is the concern of all.

Strike leader Irons was blacklisted and was unable to hold a regular job. He wandered around the Southwest, some- times under an assumed name, residing in St. Louis, Little Rock and Ft. Worth.   In 1894 Dr. G. B. Harris, an officer of the Social Democratic Party of Texas, gave Irons - then age 67 - a home in the small town of Bruceville near Waco, Tex.  Martin Irons died there in 1900, broken-down and penniless, "a true and faithful Knight." In 1911 the Missouri Federation of Labor erected a monument at Irons' grave in the Bruceville Texas Cemetery near Waco.

Martin Irons (Oct. 7, 1827 - Nov. 17, 1900) Leader  Gould Southwest Railroad Strike 1886 Fearless Champion of Industrial Freedom Erected by the Missouri Federation  of Labor and Affiliated Unions Labor Day Sept. 5, 1910 -- Inscription on Martin Irons Monument

It was difficult to find markers of important union struggles in the South. An exception was the grave of Martin Irons in Waco, Texas. -- James Green in Taking History to Heart : the Power of the Past in Building Social Movements. Photo: Prints and Photographs, Library of Congress

Jay Gould (1836-1892) Railroad Magnate and Robber Baron I can hire one-half of the working class  to kill the other half. robber baron -- an American capitalist of the latter part of the 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation; a person who has become rich through ruthless and unscrupulous business practices.

Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886  East St. Louis, Illinois. Sketch by G. J. Nebinger.

Martin Irons had the heart of a child and the soul of a hero. The capitalist class hounded him as if he had been a wild beast. They deprived him of employment, they drove him from place to place until he was literally starved into a pauper's grave. -- Mother Jones

All the powers of capitalism combined to crush him, and when at last he succumbed to overwhelming odds, he was hounded until he was ragged and footsore and the pangs of hunger gnawled at his vitals.  -- Eugene V. Debs

Paid sick leave is a basic right and a necessity for a safe workplace. Flight attendants stand in solidarity with America's rail workers. It is disgusting that railroad bosses who are racking up record profits are willing to put our economy at risk to deny workers the right to take a day off when they get sick Sara Nelson President, Association of Flight Attendants, CWA

President Biden, Congress and the railroads need to know that this problem is not going away soon. The railroad is not a place to work while you’re sick. It’s dangerous. It requires full concentration, situational awareness, and decision-making. Because management decided to egregiously reduce the workforce, it’s more dangerous than ever, and the onus of that rests with them. -- Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, IBT

I'll Have a Blue Christmas in Atlanta by Steve Jones

Friday's Labor Folklore Biographical info from the Texas State Historical Association & Wikipedia.