Today in labor history: The Lattimer Massacre

On this day in 1897, 19 peacefully demonstrating mine workers were shot dead in Lattimer PA. Some 50 other workers were wounded in the company provoked massacre. The striking miners were early members of the United Mine Workers Union. No one was convicted for the killings. The sheriff of Luzerne County, James Martin, led the assault. The UMWA says “the primary result of the massacre was rapid growth in unionism in the anthracite region. During the next four months approximately 15,000 new names were added to the UMWA rolls.”

Photo: Wkikpedia

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People’s World is a voice for progressive change and socialism in the United States. It provides news and analysis of, by, and for the labor and democratic movements to our readers across the country and around the world. People’s World traces its lineage to the Daily Worker newspaper, founded by communists, socialists, union members, and other activists in Chicago in 1924.