In this episode, we discuss the events immediately following Bloody Friday through to Governor Olson's declaration of martial law. We cover the working class' and ruling class' responses to the massacre, the settlement negotiations that soon begin, as well as take some time to analyze why cops would murder strikers in the first place.

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85 years ago today the Minneapolis Police Department, in collusion with city businessowners, shot 67 men who were demanding their union be recognized. The cops killed two men: Henry Ness and John Belor. This is Bloody Friday.

This episode covers the first few days of the third strike, provides a brief recap in case this is the first episode someone listens to, and, of course, reveals the events of Bloody Friday. The next episode will cover the immediate aftermath: reactions, Ness' funeral, and the calling in of the National Guard.

Please follow the Facebook page for day-to-day coverage of The Organizer as we progress through the July-August strike.

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In this episode, we cover the events between the May and July strikes. Local 574 had the upper hand in the immediate aftermath, but employers chiseled at the contract due to the intentional ambiguity negotiated by Governor Olson. In the run up to the July strike, leading members of the Communist League arrive in Minneapolis to help the campaign, 574 fends off vitriolic attacks from the Teamsters national president as well as the Citizens' Alliance, and workers and unions organize parades around the slogan, "Make Minneapolis A Union Town."

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And we're back! Apologies for the extended break between episodes 11 and 12. I had a lot on my plate. We should be returning to a regular schedule of episodes from here on out!

In this episode, we wrap up the explosive May strike, covering the negotiations between the truckers union Local 574, the employer-based Citizens Alliance, and Farmer-Labor Governor Floyd B. Olson. This includes desperate pleas from Minneapolis employers to President FDR, Olson's threat of mobilizing the National Guard, and the city's working class holding a fleeting moment of dominant power.

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One of the most explosive events of the 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters Strike: The Battle of Deputies' Run!

Over the course of two days -- May 21-22 -- the Minneapolis City Market became a battleground of class war. Thousands of strikers, supported by crowds numbering over 10,000, fought with over a thousand policemen and special deputies (the private army of businessmen, professionals, and frat boys).

As striker Jack Maloney said later, "the employers were ready and determined to kill if needed to maintain their control. I was determined to make them prove it and so it was with so many men at that time. They knew what to expect on Monday or the next day and they were ready to ‘go for broke.’ At Bearman’s the pickets had a sample of what to expect. The cops won that battle but on Monday the pickets gave their receipt for Saturday.”

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The May Strike begins!

In this episode, we cover the first four days of 1934's second strike. We discuss Teamster Local 574's tactics and strike headquarters, Governor Olson's attempts to reconcile the two forces, the Mayor's hiring of 500 additional cops plus the Citizens' Alliance formation of a private army, a small battle on Saturday morning, and a treacherous ambush later that night.

The next episode: The Battle of Deputies' Run.

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In the last episode, we discussed the aftermath of the February Whirlwind Strike and the run-up to the May strikes. In this episode, we discuss the negotiations and preparations each side took in the first weeks of May. We finish with a reading from Ray Dunne's article in Militant, the Communist League's newspaper, in which he assessed the situation just prior to May 15th. The next episode: The first few days of the strike, including the Tribune Alley Plot, setting the stage for the Battle of Deputies Run.

I recorded the first minute a few weeks after the rest, so there is a sudden voice change. I apologize for not being able to keep the audio consistent across episodes -- I need a studio!

Happy New Year! Let's Make 2019 A Year of Struggle!

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In this episode we cover the events of February through May as the aftermath of the February Whirlwind Strike continues to take shape. Local 574 continued its impressive organizing campaigns, the unemployed led marches agaisnt the Roosevelt administration, Farrell Dobbs joins the Communist League, small strike within the city faced mixed results, and the Farmer-Labor Governor Floyd B. Olson returns (from Episode 3), endorsing the "union idea." Even when the Teamsters weren't striking, the Minneapolis working class remained in motion.

For more on the unemployed movement, see Poor People's Movements by Frances Fox Piven & Richard Cloward and Impatient Armies of the Poor by Franklin Folsom.

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We have finally arrived! The first strike of 1934!

This episode is technically the second part of what I wrote for episode 6, but to save you from a 50 minute episode, I split it in half. We discuss the Labor Boards, Local 574 organizers' maneuvering around conservative labor bureaucrats, their strategies for timing the strike, and then the 3-day coal yard strike itself. As the title implies, this was only a practice run for the next two strikes in May and July-August.

Also, watch out for the first of the newspaper episodes to come out soon!

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