17 October 1950: Salt of the Earth strike

On this day, 17 October 1950, miners of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers went on strike against the Empire Zinc Company.

Their initial demands were for the end of discriminatory pay which paid white workers more than Mexican workers, and an end to segregated housing. Later, they added indoor plumbing and hot water for Mexican-American homes to their list of demands.

The company fought back, sending police to harass picketers, posting eviction notices on company houses, cutting off credit to strikers at the company grocery store, and sending in scabs. In time, miners from other companies in the area joined the picket line.

Eight months into the strike, the company got a court injunction forbidding the strikers to return to the picket line, and so the wives of the workers took up the picket line to get around the company’s legal tactic. The women faced sexism, police violence, and mass arrest but stayed strong.

After 15 months, the company gave into nearly every demand, agreeing to improve wages and benefits and provide hot water to homes in the town.

The strike drew national attention and was dramatised in the 1954 film “Salt of the Earth,” which was mostly acted out by workers rather than professional actors and was directed and produced by filmmakers blacklisted by Hollywood.

More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8938/salt-of-the-earth-strike

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