Clara Lemlich : a strike leader's diary

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On November 22, 1909, New York City garment workers gathered at Cooper Union to discuss pay cuts, unsafe working conditions and other grievances. After two hours of indecisive speeches by male unio...

On November 22, 1909, New York City garment workers gathered at Cooper Union to discuss pay cuts, unsafe working conditions and other grievances. After two hours of indecisive speeches by male union leaders, a young Jewish woman strode down the aisle and demanded the floor. Speaking in Yiddish, she passionately urged her coworkers to go out on strike. Clara Lemlich, a fledgling union organizer, thus launched the 'Uprising of the 20,000', when, two days later, garment workers walked out of shops all over the city.

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