Salt of the Earth Strike

Many Americans probably do not know about the Salt of the Earth Strike ( I sure didn't). This took place in the 1950s and was predominantly Mexican workers against the Empire Zinc mining company. They wanted better pay and working conditions, but more importantly was a movement against racism and sexism. Salomon states, "The favorable treatment accorded white mine workers at Empire Zinc and throughout the industry made organizing along racial lines necessary. The fact that Mexican American women exerted their leadership and organizing potential during the strike makes it a chapter worth retelling." There are many important tactics and the large repertoire they tapped into that are important to understand the dynamic of the picketers and their later success. Segregated work facilities and work tasks, though they didn't like this, made it easy for them to shut down important parts of the business and lead to tens of thousands of dollars a day lost from the mines not being worked. Also, their organizational abilities were a big help to them, because they were able to support striking workers with funds and were able to assemble large groups to picket. When the injunction that made any further union picketing illegal the women’s auxiliary a vital part of the movement replacing the position of men at pickets. When women and children started being taken to jail their numbers came as an advantage because there were so many that there soon was not enough room in the jails and the police could not hold the people for long, so they were able to resume their pickets after being released. In addition, the use of force in junction with carting women and children made the police look indecent to the public. The women simply used chili powder and knitting needles while the cops let scabs use cars to try and break the pickets up and had actual weapons and often beat the women. Solidarity was also of great help to the women too and the men started to take on the roles that the women previously had, like washing clothes, and other tasks that were considered as the duties of women. Their strength also was a big help because they did not back down, which is why they are often called the backbone of the strike (never underestimate the power of women) and eventually what led to the end of the strike and the company succeeding to their demands, with help of the governor intervening. They also challenged authority and created a large disruption by striking against the racism they were facing, then by disrupting the notion of where a woman's place was when the women started picketing and showing culturally masculine traits. The fact that the women found a loop hole in the injunction imposed on the men was a large disruption. Also, with the treatment women and children were faced with by the cops and scabs the image of Empire Zinc was disrupted and seen in a negative light because of their actions. For these very reasons I believe this is why I have never heard about this movement. The fact that this minority group went against the powerful group and fought for what they knew was right is something that people with power do not want you to see so that it limits the instances of this happening and learning from these people so that we can stand up against injustices that benefit the ruling elite. They bank on people being submissive and ignorant of injustice so that they are able to do whatever they need to lower costs, exploit workers, etc. without objection and any question of their practices. This was an important time in history because at the time it was a great stride towards equality and was a whole decade before the civil rights movement took place, so the results they got were virtually unheard of at the time. Also, it helps to realize that the notion that the civil rights movement was central in the south is not true and that even though this is where we normally locate it when studying it, everyone, everywhere was fighting for equal treatment. This also set a stage for later women's liberation movements.


This event was later adapted to film, which was blacklisted