"Organize Everything That Works":

An Analysis of Two Strikes in Bayonne, New Jersey during 1912 and 1913

Abstract

Despite the city’s location within the New York metropolitan area, unionism in Bayonne, New Jersey is not well-represented in the labor history canon. This article examines two strikes that took place in Bayonne within a year of each other: the 1912 silk workers’ strike at the Schwarzenbach-Huber mill and the 1913 capmakers’ strike at the Herman Bros. factory. The Schwarzenbach-Huber mill was owned by an international company with multiple locations, while the Herman Bros. factory was operated by a single family with personal ties to the strikers. Various Progressive-era phenomena can be observed in the events of these strikes, such as the growth of the labor movement, widespread immigration, and the rise of women in the workplace. In this way, Bayonne acts as a microcosm of New Jersey during the 1910s and shows historical trends as they unfolded in real-time.