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Latinos United: Mexican, Italian, and Spanish Miners:
in Arizona Labor Strikes1900-1920
Learning about a Miner’s life from the bottom-up
Butte, Montana Copper CityRivals with Bisbee for title “Queen of Copper Camps”
Copper Prices Soar, Industrial Uses
Arizona Copper Towns Grew
Whiteness was Important
• White = Northern Europeans• Often skilled Workers: Cornish and Irish• Whites Got better Wages• Whites Got better housing• Whites likely to have political control• Whites control “craft” or skilled Unions• Whites Got perks like being in the local band
La Raza Latina/La Razza Latino
• Some groups were “IN BETWEEN” whites and minorities. Certain privileges BUT
• Also faced prejudice and discrimination• The “Latin Race” was at times a source of PAN
ETHNIC IDENTITY for* Mexicans
* Spaniards * Italians
European Spanish Speakersseen as “Dark”
8
Race is “Italian” for U.S. born
World War I -> Labor issuesRadical Groups fight for control of Unions
• Labor Forward = battle cry• Western Federation of Miners grows * Mexicans, Italians, and Slavs
from Globe, AZ *Spaniards from Ray, AZ *Latins of Clifton/Morenci, AZ• 1917 alliance of Mexican and
Spanish, Italians, and Slavic groups control: Arizona State Federation of Labor’s
• ONLY ONE GROUP WINS… WHY??? LATIN UNITY
War $$ = + Huge Profits for Copper Companies
BUT ----No raises for workers
AND ----Price of daily goods increases
THUS-- Arizona beset with big strikes
ALSO small “strikitos”
Bisbee Whitest White Town
• De Jure segregation of Chinese “Sundown Law”• De Facto segregation of Mexicans, Blacks, and
southern European Immigrants• Mexicans could not work underground• Italian miners earned less than other
Europeans• NO UNIONS
Wages by Groups 1911
Tintown: Bisbee Barrio
Brewery Gulch, BisbeeLower GulchPoor WhitesSouthern EuropeansRacial Minorities ANDUpper Gulch
Very PoorProstitution
Gambling
Drugs
Above and Beside
Two More Barrios
14
Labor Struggle WFM vs Industrial Workers of the World
Bisbee Deportation 1917 Mexicans Sided with Industrial Workers of World in hopes of better work
Italians Sided with Western Federation of Miners
Globe, Arizona
• Another White Man’s Camp• Chinese could live in town but segregated• New Immigrants lived in one area League of Nations Mexicans and Italians could join the powerful local union Western Federation of Miners
In Globe, Arizona Italians formed a Little ItalyThey were self-sufficient and strongly pro Union. From the same area in Italy their unity: Piemontese Not as willing to join Mexicans in strike efforts
Italians Had their own SaloonsBocce was a popular sport among Italians
Globe Boarding HouseWomen contributed to the economy by being frugal at home PLUS Took in Borders Worked in Laundries or Family Business
Clifton/Morenci/MetcalfMexican Camp
Railroads linked remote sites Many Groups were Catholic
Clifton was considered a CityMinorities, including Chinese merchants, lived along Chase Creek
All areas had Latin influences
The band is not an official company band, but one popular for celebrations like dances, weddings, funerals, etc.
Shannon Hill housed a Mexican barrio (below) anda Spanish enclave (Above)Spaniards arrived in Arizona later than Italians but both groups identified with Mexican as workers.
Morenci was a Mexican TownClifton, Morenci, and Metcalf had high percentages of Mexicans,Italians and Spaniards (who arrived later and avoided “White Towns”)
Wedding: Granieri Family of Morenci
Immigrants tended to marry within their regionLived near each other in Morenci’s Seven Hills BUT apart from Whites Calabrese Family Pictured here
All Groups also Intermarried
Anarchists mixed ideas in Mexico and Europe
Latin Unity Won Labor Conflicts
• Italians invited to join Mexican Mutialistas * 1903 “wild cat” strike 5 Mexicans and 4
Italian leaders sent to prison
Pan-Latin Group (Spanish too) Wins Concessions in War Years 1915- 1918
Joining Union
OPEN PIT COPPER MINES: CHEAP AND EFFICIENT
Ethnic Neighborhoods destroyed since company ownedthe land in mining towns. Groups still hold reunions
recalling life in Morenci and Ray.