Vol. 77/No. 13 April 8, 2013
April 8, 1988
More than a million Black workers in South Africa joined a nationwide strike on March 21 to commemorate the murder of 69 Blacks in Sharpeville in 1960. They were killed when police opened fire on a crowd protesting South Africa’s pass laws. This law required Blacks to carry a passbook at all times, indicating the bearer’s identity, place of birth, employment, and length of time permitted to be in “white areas.”Following the massacre the apartheid regime carried out a crackdown on its opponents throughout the country.
This strike is significant in light of the Feb. 24 decree of the regime banning virtually all activities of the major anti-apartheid organizations. The decree singled out the 1 million member Congress of South African Trade Unions.
April 8, 1963
In the four years since the Cuban Revolution came to power, the Cuban people have become not only the first in Latin America to conquer illiteracy, but the first to set up a public-health system making medical attention available to the entire population. One very tangible result has been the elimination of new cases of polio from the country.Not a single case of polio has appeared since May 1962.
No other Latin American country makes medical treatment available to the entire population, regardless of how humble or isolated people may be. The job of immunization and health inspection is accomplished through the mass organizations of the revolution, but particularly by mobilization of the youth, who go into the country’s remotest areas to make sure everyone is immunized.
April 9, 1938
JACKSON, Mich.—The first major use of the sit-down tactic in many months won workers striking against Consumers Power Co. a partial victory when the C.I.O. Utility Workers Organizing Committee was granted exclusive bargaining rights for all employees and the company renewed the contract expiring April 1 until August 4.Within a few hours after the collapse of negotiations last Friday, members of the union peacefully took over the plants and service stations in Saginaw, Bay City, Flint and Lansing. Foremen and supervisors were ejected, but operations were maintained, with power still flowing throughout this vast industrial area.
Governor Frank Murphy promptly called a conference between the strikers and the company in Detroit, where the agreement was reached this Monday.
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