Today in labor history January 28th, 2023

 

[Photo: Mexican laborers being fumigated with the pesticide DDT 

in Hidalgo, Texas, in 1956.

Today in labor history, January 28, 17-year old house cleaner Carmelita Torres leads what will become known as the “Bath Riots” at the Juarez/El Paso border, refusing the gasoline and chemical “bath” imposed on Mexican workers crossing the border into the U.S. Torres and 30 other women resisted and several hundred people quickly joined in the demonstration. Troops eventually quelled the riot and Torres was arrested. The practice continued for decades. 

The first national coal miners’ union, the American Miners’ Association, was formed. – 1861