1913 Paterson silk strike
The 1913 Paterson silk strike was a work stoppage involving silk mill workers in Paterson, New Jersey. The strike involved demands for establishment of an eight-hour day and improved working conditions. The strike began in February 1913, and ended five months later, on July 28. During the course of the strike, approximately 1,850 strikers were arrested, including Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) leaders Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.
Strike leaders Patrick L. Quinlan, Carlo Tresca, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Adolph Lessig, and Bill Haywood.
Paterson, New Jersey with the textile mills on the right, c. 1906.
Political cartoon of a silk producer who is holding a flag on which is written "To hell with your laws! I'll get Haywood. Elizabeth Flynn, or anyone else who interferes with my profits."
Industrial Workers of the World pageant poster
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's third-most-populous municipality, with a population of 159,732.
Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson, pictured July 2016
A view of Paterson c. 1880
The central business district of Paterson at the intersection of Market and Main Streets, 1911
A Hooverville for the unemployed on the outskirts of Paterson, 1937
