Tony Mazzocchi, Cowboy Strikes, and the Power of Solidarity

·19 min·1 clip

The Great Cowboy Strike of 1883 cuts through the myth of rugged individualism by showing cowboys were actually working class people who took collective action.

This episode explores three pivotal moments in labor history: the legacy of union leader Tony Mazzocchi and his fight for worker safety, the untold story of the multiracial cowboy strike of 1883 that challenges myths of rugged individualism, and the 1937 miners' solidarity strike during the Little Steel strike. Through historical narrative, personal recollection, and musical interpretation, it reveals how working people have organized across racial lines for better conditions.

As heard by us

Tony Mazzocchi, cowboy strike history, and labor memory meet with real texture.

Labor History Today opens with a safety chant and then settles into Tony Mazzocchi's long reach across worker safety, the Labor Party, and labor arts. It also folds in the multiracial cowboy strike of 1883 and the 1937 miners' solidarity strike.

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Why you'd press play

You want labor history that opens with a safety chant and then widens into a few sharp turns.

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