Little Falls

On this day in working class history, the 9th of October.

[upbeat music] On the 9th of October 1912, the mostly female workforce at the Phoenix Mill in Little Falls, New York, walked out on a wildcat strike to force their employer to follow a new state law which limited working hours to 54 per week, down from 60.

2,000 other workers from the Phoenix and Gilbert's Mills joined them on strike, and the workers joined the Revolutionary Industrial Workers of the World Union.

The IWW sent in organizers including Matilda Rabinowitz, Big Bill Haywood, and others, and fellow IWW member Helen Keller also supported the strike.

[news jingle] For this week in working class history, we're headed up to New York, 1912.

It was there in the city of Little Falls where mostly immigrant women textile workers kicked off an 87-day strike against the mill owners and won.

Things popped off after the state legislature passed a law that lowered the maximum work week from 60 hours to 54 hours for women and children.

The intention was to protect them from industrial accidents, but in reality, it amounted to a significant pay cut as the workers were now only being paid for 54 hours a week instead of 60.

The workers approved the agreement during a mass meeting with state mediators and reportedly played the La Marseillaise afterward.

Thanks as always to the crew at Working Class History for opening up their archives to us.

You can find them on social media for more on the Little Falls textile strike and other events that happened this week in history, including the 1916 Standard Oil strike, Hollywood Black Friday in 1945, and the 1967 execution of revolutionary Che Guevara.

We'll be back with more next week.

Bring it on.

Let's go to Peter in Little Falls.

You're on ESPN New York.

[laughs] He said, "I'm Captain Diarrhea."

You mentioned that there are other mourners in the land.

Some of them at this moment are in Little Falls, New York, waiting for the Lonesome Train, the train carrying the late President Lincoln to his last resting place in Springfield, Illinois.

Ken Roberts has been on that train since it began its sad journey.

We take you to him now aboard the Lonesome Train at Little Falls, New York.

[train rumbling] The Lonesome Train is on a siding a few hundred yards up the track from the depot here at Little Falls, New York.

It stopped a moment ago to take on water.

Soldiers are standing at attention alongside of each car, and on the ground in the gloom are a handful of people, men and women.

Let's listen.

Okay.

Little town, Little Falls, New York, on a 295 acre dairy farm.

[laughs] It was just my sister and I, and, um, and our father.

And our, our mom would help, but she was just there to keep, like, the flower beds and everything looking nice.

a funny thought right Well, I am not in a panic room right now.

I am in the lovely Rock City Center in Little Falls, a beautiful co-working space.

I'm in my corner office.

Not my corner office, but I mean, somebody else was in here earlier today, but I'm in here now recording and loving it.

Let's go to Peter.

He's in Little Falls.

You're on ESPN New York.

What's up, Peter?

A lot of people want to chime in about everything that's going on in the world of sports.

So let's dive into those calls and let's talk to Peter in Little Falls.

You're on ESPN New York.

What's up, Peter?

say.

But I am actually recording from Rock City Center in Little Falls.

I mean, it's beautiful here, but I am completely alone in the building as far as I know.

Definitely does not give the Inn at Widow's Bay vibes, though.

Chattanooga and Waterloo were both rained out.

Little Falls beat Batavia in the New York Penn League in both games of a twin-eyed doubleheader.

Pitch to Carbo, fastball inside, ball one.

Bernie hitting .262, two homers, 14 RBIs, 4-14 against Detroit with one run batted in.

Little Falls beat Batavia 8-7 and 7-0.

Savedra had a home run for Batavia in the first game.

But Bozeman throw a no-hitter and the nightcap for Little Falls.

There's a shot up the middle on the ground and into center field.