ABSTRACT
In mid-March of 1912, the Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts,
ended after about nine weeks. The key demands of the striking textile workers
included a wage increase, more overtime pay, an end to a bonus system, and
protection from retaliation against strikers.1 Each of these demands was met
completely or substantially, led by the concessions of William Wood (1858-1926)
and the American Woolen Company. William “Big Bill” Haywood (1869-1928),
a leader of the strike and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), addressed
the strikers at a mass meeting. He said:
So ended one of the most significant strikes in American labor history.
