In Remembrance

Thanksgiving. A time of gathering with family and friends. It can mean many things to many people, but remembering those who have come before us to allow the things we have today is something we should also do.

One of my hopes for this column was not only to inform and entertain, but to also enlighten the reader with historical facts of union battles that have occurred that have had a profound effect on this nation.

Woody Guthrie had a profound influence on music and musicians worldwide. His lyrics and music are a social commentary on the history of the United States during the early part of the twentieth century. One of his songs, “1913 Massacre” tells the story of a tragedy against union workers and their families.

This occurred in the upper peninsula of Michigan in the copper mining town of Calumet in 1913. A work stoppage started in July against the company, Calumet and Hecla Mining (C & H) by the WFM (Western Federation of Miners) for shorter hours, better working conditions and better wages. The members on average earned $2.75 a day, with the workday averaging 12 or more hours, and six days per week. Boys as young as 12 were employed to carry drill rods to the miners working deep underground. This was very dangerous work with an average of one worker killed, and two workers becoming permanently disabled per week.

On Christmas Eve, the WFM held a holiday gathering for the striking workers and their families on the second floor of the Italian Hall. Over 500 people attended the holiday festival of food and music. However, trouble would occur when agents of C & H mining and a group of scabs gathered at the entrance to the hall.

In an act of cowardice that to this day remains unsolved, someone in the group gathered outside the hall yelled “Fire!” When the revelers heard this, a panic started. A huge rush of people started down the steep staircase to exit the hall. As the panicked group reached the doors, they could not open them because they opened inward and the huge mass of people pressing against the doors made pulling them open impossible. In the aftermath, 73 people, 59 of these were children, had died.

Although still unsolved, this remains one of the most tragic events not only in the history of organized labor but also in this nation’s history.

So, as each of us gather in our celebrations with family and friends this holiday season, take a moment to remember a tragedy that sadly most people have no knowledge of.


Here are the lyrics to the song written by Woody Guthrie, “1913 Massacre”:

Take a trip with me in 1913,
To Calumet, Michigan, in the copper country.
I will take you to a place called Italian Hall,
Where the miners are having their big Christmas ball.

I will take you to a door and up a high stairs,
Singing and dancing is heard everywhere,
I will let you shake hands with the people you see,
And watch the kids dance around the big Christmas tree.

You ask about work and you ask about pay,
They’ll tell you they make less than a dollar a day,
Working the copper claims, risking their lives;
So it’s fun to spend Christmas with children and wives.

There’s talking and laughing and songs in the air,
And the spirit of Christmas is there everywhere,
Before you know it, you’re friends with us all,
And you’re dancing around and around in the hall.

Well a little girl sits down by the Christmas tree lights,
To play the piano so you gotta keep quiet,
To hear all this fun you would not realize,
That the copper boss’ thug men are milling outside.

The copper boss’ thugs stuck their heads in the door,
One of them yelled and he screamed “there’s a fire,”
A lady she hollered “there’s no such a thing.
Keep on with your party, there’s no such a thing.”

A few people rushed and it was only a few,
“It’s just the thugs and the scabs fooling you.”
A man grabbed his daughter and carried her down,
But the thugs held the door and he could not get out.

And the others followed, a hundred or more,
But most everybody remained on the floor,
The gun thugs they laughed at their murderous joke,
While the children were smothered on the stairs by the door.

Such a terrible sight I never did see,
We carried our children back up to the tree,
The scabs outside still laughed at their spree,
And the children that died there were seventy-three.

The piano played a slow funeral tune,
And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas tune,
The parents they cried and the miners they moaned,
“See what your greed for money has done.”

Remain strong in SEIU Pride and Solidarity!!!

Mark Freeman
Methodist Hospital