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”

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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

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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.