Community in Conflict: A Working-class History of the 1913-14 Michigan Copper Strike and the Italian Hall Tragedy

by Gary Kaunonen

A mirror of great changes that were occurring on the national labor rights scene, the 1913–14 Michigan Copper Strike was a time of unprecedented social upheaval in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With organized labor taking an aggressive stance against the excesses of unfettered capitalism, the stage was set for a major struggle between labor and management. The Michigan Copper Strike received national attention and garnered the support of luminaries in organized labor like Mother Jones, John Mitchell, Clarence Darrow, and Charles Moyer. The hope of victory was overshadowed, however, by violent incidents like the shooting of striking workers and their family members, and the bitterness of a community divided. No other event came to symbolize or memorialize the strike more than the Italian Hall tragedy, in which dozens of workers and working-class children died. In Community in Conflict, the efforts of working people to gain a voice on the job and in their community through their unions, and the efforts of employers to crush those unions, take center stage. Previously untapped historical sources such as labor spy reports, union newspapers, coded messages, and artifacts shine new light on this epic, and ultimately tragic, period in American labor history.

Genres: Labor

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Christopher Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year, I read a book that used the Woody Guthrie song as a launching point to discuss the strike and the Italian Hall Massacre, which made me want to visit Calumet, which I did a few weeks ago as a general visit to the Keweenaw Peninsula. While the National Park did a good job at placing the strike in the larger context of the region’s history, there wasn’t much about Italian Hall (save the sombre memorial), but I was glad to buy this book at the park’s visitor center, as it looks at the strike specifically from the perspective of the workers. One of the authors even has a local connection with Michigan Tech in Houghton. The book does a great job at discussing the unique ethnic makeup of the region, as well as connecting the strikes to the larger national context. Good read!!