California in the Progressive Era

With history lecturer John Holmes, SFSU Professor Bill Issel and moderated by SFSU Professor Bob Cherney
One of the most tumultuous periods in San Francisco labor and working class history was the formation of the Union Labor Party (ULP) and the role of the Socialist Party in the early 20th century.
San Francisco was the first major city in the United States to have a labor mayor but later the mayor and the board of supervisors were removed in a financial scandal pushed and funded by major San Francisco capitalists who were angry that organized labor had political control of the city.
This panel will look at this history including the 1907 Carmen’s strike that cost the lives of 33 people. The long strike was broken when the company brought in armed company thugs who shot strikers and their supporters and injured many because of their inability to run the cars. On the 110th anniversary of this strike this panel will examine the lessons for today.