28. WVMW #4 - The Battle of Blair Mountain
29. Australia's 1854 Eureka Rebellion
30. 1946 Abadan Oil Worker Strikes in Iran
31. The 1936-37 Great General Motors Sit-Down Strike #1
32. The 1936-37 Great General Motors Sit-Down Strike #2
In the 4th (AND FINAL!!!!) part of our West Virginia Mine Wars coverage, we're diving into the most tumultuous period of the mine wars, the absolute batshit crazy summer of 1921, the murder of Sit Hatfield, the armed miner's march, and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Need I say more? Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders
In this episode, we're taking a slight tangent to put a critical eye on a controversial strike/rebellion that you almost certainly know of if you're Australian, but you might not have heard about otherwise! I sure didn't. The Eureka Rebellion saw a group of angry settler gold miners briefly take up arms against the British colonial government in response to increasing taxes, police violence, corruption, and a lack of representation. It's an event with a complex history that often gets simplified and sampled by various groups. To some it's the advent of Australian democracy, to others it's merely an extension of settler colonialism. It doesn't help that the Eureka flag has unfortunately been co-opted by white nationalists in recent years. We're going to examine why (and draw some connections to U.S. mythologizing history and national narratives too - it wouldn't be Boot Biters if we didn't!). Let's get into it! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders
In this jam-packed episode we explore a series of strikes led by oil workers at the Abadan oil refinery in Iran, culminating in an oil industry general strike in 1946. We dive into the advent of the global oil industry, British colonization and economic exploitation through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, explore the impact of WWII occupation of Iran on Iranian workers, the segregated company city of Abadan, and learn about the labor movement that bloomed in spite of repressive conditions, eventually leading to oil nationalization—which is a-whole-nother story. Let's get into it! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders
Whenever I think "oh, this will just be a quick episode!" I'm proven wrong instantly. In the midst of the Great Depression, auto workers at General Motors plants across the country—but particularly in Michigan—were facing speed ups, pay cuts, dangerous working conditions, and outright abuse and assault by anti-union forces. Workers at Fisher Plant No. 1 in Flint, Michigan decided to do something bold about it. Popularizing a wave of sit-down strikes, workers occupied the plant for 44 days, coming out on the other end with union recognition, better pay, and wider ramifications for the entire global auto industry. Buckle up nerds, this is another Jason Bourne-level saga of espionage, sabotage, and inspiring courage in the face of it all. Let's get into it! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders
In our second episode covering the the 1936-37 Great General Motors Sit-Down Strike, we dig into the logistics of a 44-day long sit down at Fisher Plant No. 1 in Flint, Michigan including the zany ways people stay entertained while hunkered down in a factory, we cover Fisher Plant No. 2's victory in rebuffing an attack by police during the tongue-in-cheek named Battle of the Running Bulls, and discover the extreme lengths the union had to go to to counter GM's espionage, including an elaborate secret plan to occupy another much larger plant: Chevy No. 4. that finally forced GM to the table. Let's get into it! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters
Right on the tail end of the Flint General Motors Sit-Down came another sit-down, this time at a Woolworth's Five and Dime in Detroit and composed entirely by mostly young women and teenagers. Tired of poor pay, long hours, and gross treatment from management, the workers led by a candy attendant named Vita Terrall approached a local union for support. With no prior strike experience, they still threatened to occupy the store until their demands were met. Over the course of 7 days, they came together to turn an uncertain and tense situation into a party-like atmosphere, maintained their demands even in the face of a patronizing press, and came out on the other end with a major win, inspiring a series of other strikes and sit-downs across the hotel, restaurant, and retail industry. Let's get into it! Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online: Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/ You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts! Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters