Bread & Roses Strike
The Astrology & History of the Strike for 3 Loaves
On January 11, 1912, the Lawrence Textile Strike, also called the Bread & Roses Strike or the Strike for Three Loaves, began in Lawrence, MA, a town built upon the textile industry. Factory owners employed unskilled immigrants, mostly women, to do the repetitive and dangerous work within the mills. Children also often worked in these dangerous places and Lawrence had the 5th highest child mortality rate in the country.
These mill owners saw these workers as easily controlled and exploitable fodder for their profit margins, but they were very wrong to make this assumption. The FAFO hit the fan when mill owners decided to cut women’s hours and wages, prompting them to launch a successful strike that lasted 2 months.
However, deplorable working conditions and worker exploitation had been rampant for decades, so why this mill? Why these workers? Why now? The history and astrology of this event offer fascinating insights, so let’s take a look!
What a Tangled Web We Weave
The first decade of the 1900s saw the mills become even more dangerous thanks to the introduction of the two-loom system, a process that made textile production faster and more efficient. As a result, many of the 32,000 employees in the mills were laid off, while the remaining workers had their hours cut. Crowded living conditions, meager meals, and unregulated work environments were a way of life that often resulted in early death, but it was about to get even worse.
Women’s rights were still severely restricted, and that was compounded for the poor and immigrants. In 1908, SCOTUS had ruled via Muller v State of Oregon it was perfectly legal to limit the working hours of women as “the state has a compelling interest in protecting the health of women.” Yeah. Seriously. Pay attention, because House GOP representatives are already steering legislation back to this path.
In Muller, SCOTUS ruled that women workers were less than their male counterparts, and that limiting women’s work hours was also constitutional. They found that doing so did not violate the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Limited working hours equaled limited earnings, meaning women would still be dependent on men (read: marriage) to survive.
What did marriage equal at the time? Pregnancy and childbirth. The Comstock Laws (1873) banning the sale, mailing, possession, use of, or education about contraceptives and abortifacients were still very much in effect. Margaret Sanger wouldn’t open her birth control clinic in Brooklyn, NY, until 1916, and women wouldn’t have their right to birth control affirmed by SCOTUS until 1965 for married women (Griswold v Connecticut) and 1972 for unmarried women (Eisenstadt v Baird). Good times.
Law for He, But Not for Thee
This wasn’t the only SCOTUS case that limited women’s earning potential, though. In 1873, SCOTUS ruled in Bradwell v State of Illinois that women could be banned from practicing certain professions. In this case, it was the practice of law. Myra Bradwell had passed the Illinois Bar Exam and applied for admittance to the Illinois Bar. The Illinois Supreme Court denied her admission, claiming the “strife” of the bar would surely destroy her femininity (read: this is a boys’ club).
Myra took her case all the way up to SCOTUS, where the State of Illinois used coverture as their legal defense. Coverture was the English law practice retained by the colonies that held women “become one” with their husbands. Only the husband was considered a citizen with legal rights. The wife became his property as did any of her assets. Watch the GOP try to bring this turd blossom back, too!
In Bradwell, SCOTUS ruled that the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the 14th Amendment did not guarantee the right to practice a profession, therefore it was fine for the states to regulate that, especially when it came to women. Justice Bradley's opinion concurring in the Court's judgment claimed,
"The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many of the occupations of civil life.... The paramount destiny and mission of women are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother. This is the law of the Creator."
FOH, Bradley. As you can see, this Chistian Nationalism Gilead shit is NOTHING new. In fact, legislation was introduced in the House last year to “define male and female,” and it included references to gender roles. This is exactly what they mean by making America “great again.” Keep your eyes open!
Threadbare and Burdened
With these legal precedents from SCOTUS now firmly on the books, Massachusetts took this legislative opportunity to restrict the number of hours women could work in a week to 54, down from 56. The law went into effect on January 1, and the mill owners promptly used it to reduce the wages of the women working in the textile factories by $0.32. This was enough to pay for enough bread to last about 3 weeks, or 3 loaves, hence the alternative name of the strike.
Adjusted for inflation, $1 in 1912 would be equivalent to just over $32 today, making $0.32 comparable to around $10.30. To help put this in perspective, American Woolen Company, which owned four of the town’s mills, made a profit of $3M in 1911, which is equivalent to around $96.6M today. Does any of this sound familiar?
Bread, molasses, and beans were staple food items for these families, so going without one of them could literally mean starvation. For these workers, that drop in wages was the difference between surviving or not. It was also enough to make these weary women snap.
On January 11, a group of Polish women textile workers at Everett Mill received their reduced paychecks and realized what had happened. They promptly walked off the job and on January 12, workers from the Washington Mill joined them. The International Workers of the World (IWW) union assumed leadership of the strike. Their meetings and materials were translated into 25 different languages because of the tremendous cultural diversity among the immigrant strikers.
Interestingly, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which was the foremost labor organization at the time, came out against the strike, calling it “revolutionary” and “anarchistic.” They called the striking women “radicals.” Well-behaved women rarely make history, amirite? The AFL also mainly represented white skilled craftsmen who spoke English. Just like the mill owners, they did not see the value in the labor and lives of these immigrant women and children.
Hell Hath No Fury
The strikes quickly turned violent when mill owners turned fire hoses on the strikers in the freezing January New England air. The Lawrence mayor ordered local militia to keep patrol. Then the Massachusetts governor ordered in the state police and state militia, resulting in more violence and arrests. Anna LoPizzo, an Italian woman who worked at the mills, was shot and killed on January 29, likely by police officers.
Although there were almost 20 eyewitnesses who saw her murdered, IWW workers were instead framed and arrested for her death even though they’d been nowhere near the mill that day. These two workers also happened to be the lead IWW organizers for the strike. While Anna’s death may or may not have been intentional, the targeting of these two men, who were ultimately exonerated, certainly was. Officials thought this tragedy would deter the protests and quickly end the strike, but they were so, so wrong. Instead, Anna’s death only galvanized the women to fight back even harder.
A young Syrian immigrant named Annie Kiami wrapped herself in the American flag and stepped to the front of the crowd, daring police to shoot her through the stars and stripes. A group of Italian women overwhelmed a police officer, removed his weapons and pants, and then dangled him over the edge of a bridge as the icy waters ran below. This particular technique was one they would employ many times over. These women were NOT backing down. As the attorney general of Lawrence said, “One policeman can handle ten men, while it takes ten policemen to handle one woman.”
Spreading the Word
They had good reason to be so tenacious - their children, many of whom were striking workers themselves. Although children had to be 14 years or older to work, many families needed the additional income. Birth records could be forged for a significant price, but those who could pay saw it as an investment in the family’s well-being.
As the strike waged on, many children were sent to live with relatives and supporters in New York, Vermont, and New Jersey, both for their safety and to relieve some of the financial pressure. However, this was also strategic as it helped their stories of exploitation and police brutality spread beyond Lawrence. Soon, the strike and its violent treatment of mothers and children protesters became known across the nation, even catching the attention of First Lady Helen Herron Taft.
This notoriety helped launch a special House Committee investigation into Lawrence. Bowed by the bad publicity and political pressure, the strike finally ended on March 14, when mill owners agreed to many of the demands including a pay increase, changing how productivity bonuses were awarded, and promising not to retaliate against the striking workers. Thus, a coalition of mostly poor women of more than 50 nationalities defied the expectations of unions, the textile trust, and local officials.
So how did this strike get the name “Bread and Roses”? It is taken from a poem by James Oppenheim:
“As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!”
Now, let’s look at the astrology to see what the cosmic catalyst was for this strike and how it played into the larger planetary themes of the time.
Food for Thought
Before I break down this chart, I would like to share a bit about my approach to mundane astrology. Many events will spark curiosity, and I will wonder to what extent the planets had a say. However, not all events can realistically have a chart cast, especially as we go further back into history. Records were slow to be kept, if at all, and many have been lost over time. In those cases, we may be able to get a broad sense of the cosmic energies by looking at the more slowly moving outer planets, but may not have the option to drill it down to a House level.
At other times, the records are either very accurate - a true find! - or they give us enough information to make an educated guess. That’s what happened here. We don’t know the specific time the Bread & Roses Strike began, but we do know the day and location. We also know that it was after the women received their paychecks, which was likely not first thing in the morning.
There are a few other factors: this was pre-Daylight Savings time, so sunset and loss of daylight was a factor in the length of the workday. Lawrence is approximately 30 minutes north of Boston, which is so far to the East that it could reasonably be part of the Atlantic time zone, hence an earlier sunset. Balancing these factors, we used a time of Noon to cast our chart to see if anything showed up and, yowzers - did it ever! It’s times like these that astrology can be incredibly exciting and incredibly literal.
First off, we have a 10° Taurus ASC. Taurus rules money, resources, values, and likes comfortable luxury. Oh, they also LOVE food. It’s no wonder the women wanted money for bread and roses. Ascendants change signs approximately every 2 hours, so theoretically since the exact time of the strike is unknown, this event may not have a Taurus ASC. However, I think it does even if the exact degree is off because the rest of this chart is in complete alignment with the events.
Triple the Tension
There are three placements in resource-minded Taurus: the 10° 20’ ASC, 13° 19’ Saturn Rx, and 25° 20’ Mars. Our malefics are buddied up in the 1st House, which tells us about the defining nature of the event. Saturn, the planet of restriction and boundaries, is conjunct the ASC. It was a restriction of resources and food combined with a lack of alternative employment options that prompted these women to take charge. Fun fact: we’ll experience Saturn in Taurus starting in 2028.
Mars is the planet of police, violence, and political tension. The strike grew violent with police brutality, but the women fought back with the same tenacity. Mars is also conjunct our old friend fixed star Algol, AKA: the Beheading Star. Algol adds violence to everything it touches and with Mars there, death and grievous injury were assured. Furthermore, Mars is in the sign of its detriment here. The police may have had the firepower, but that did not mean they would win.
We also have three placements in Capricorn: 20° 07’ Sun, 21° 54’ MC, and 28° 52’ Uranus. The sign of governments and CEOs (Sun), Capricorn is a natural fit here. The mill owners were raking in tremendous profit at the expense of workers’ lives, and it took Washington, D.C. getting involved for them to get their act straight. Uranus is also the planet of strikes, chaos, rebellion, and labor unions. In the 10th House of reputation and national/corporate leaders, the Bread & Roses strike was here to disrupt “business as usual” for everyone.
Finally, we have a Sagittarius stellium: 6° 37’ Jupiter, 8° 10’ Venus, and 26° 52’ Mercury. This is possibly the most import triplet of the chart. Venus rules Taurus, our ASC, and she is getting a big boost of energy from Jupiter as they both hang out in the 7th House of victims and foreign affairs. Mercury rules communication, and in spicy Sagittarius, this was a battle of words and weapons. These women would not be silenced about their deadly abuse and made sure the whole world knew about it.
Double the Trouble
Overall, this is a powerful chart, with many planets and angles on world points:
MC: 21° 54’ Capricorn
Sun: 20° 07’ Capricorn (9H; conjunct MC)
IC: 21° 54’ Cancer
Neptune: 22° 27’ Cancer (4H; exalted)
Moon: 24° 40’ Libra (6H; intercepted)
Jupiter: 6° 37’ Sagittarius (8H; domicile)
Venus: 8° 10’ Sagittarius (8H)
World points signify that the associated event or placement will have a global impact. Benefics Venus and Jupiter are conjunct, amplifying the ASC ruler’s power. Jupiter is at home in Sagittarius and can best express itself. Venus represents women, diplomacy, money, children, beauty, and partnership. Women banded together despite their different nationalities and partnered with the IWW to achieve their goals. They were far more powerful than the men realized!
Pluto at 27° 33’ was also nearing the end of its time in Gemini, the same transit that saw a multitude of strikes, workers’ rights movements, and union activity, including the Haymarket Riot. Pluto is the planet of deep generational level transformation, tearing down what no longer works to rebuild better.
Gemini is a sign of duality and likes to do things in pairs. While many of the unions focused on male workers, women wanted their rights and paychecks protected, too. With this placement in the 2nd House of finances, they didn’t just want money for bread, they also wanted roses, dammit! Body and soul, stomach and heart, pantry and parlor. These women were not willing to settle for scraps.
Sensing a Pattern Here
If all these placements weren’t enough, we also have some powerhouse patterns in this chart.
The first is a Grand Cross, with the Libra Moon (6H; intercepted), Capricorn Uranus (10H), Cancer Neptune (4H; exalted), and Aries North Node (12H; intercepted) all opposing and squaring one another. Neptune can represent financial loss, socialism, and illusion. It is exalted in Cancer, the sign of home, and this energy is amplified further in the 4th House of homeland, ordinary citizens, and family. In opposition to those ruling Capricorn energies, Neptune is ready to destabilize the foundations of corporate greed to protect their loved ones.
The Libra Moon (mothers, public sentiment) conjunct the South Node in the 6th House of trade unions and healthcare wants justice, fair pay, and physical safety. However, she is intercepted, so for too long, her cries go unheard. Opposing her is the Aries North Node, also intercepted in the 12th House of imprisonment, but this can also tell us how the story is likely to end. While the Moon’s cries may have gone unheard, her willingness to fight also went unseen. They had tried to bargain and peacefully advocate for needs, but now it was time to do battle. These women were underestimated to the peril of those who sought to keep them in servitude. They learned the hard way that that was a mistake.
All of these oppositions and squares are at odds with one another, creating tension and challenges, but they are not the only source of conflict. We have a Yod, and you know by now just how exciting this is! Yods are an isosceles triangle with a sextile base, which is quincunx a single common point. This apex has been “pointed at” and is the focus of the Yod.
In this case, we have our Libra Moon and Sagittarius Mercury at the base, and our Taurus Mars at the apex. La Luna may try to make peace, but Mercury in detrimental Sagittarius in the 8th House of death, taxes, and power conflicts is going to speak the fiery truth no matter how much it hurts. They are both directing their ire at Mars in stubborn fixed Taurus. If neither diplomacy, nor arguing, will achieve their goals, they will go into full battle mode. These women literally have nothing left to lose and that is the most dangerous adversary.
Finally, we can see why this strike became so explosive: there is also a Mystic Rectangle! We actually saw all three of these same patterns in our Haymarket Riot charts, so it is clear that significant events occur when they all come to the party.
Mystic Rectangles contain two crossed oppositions, but unlike with the above Grand Cross, they are not at a right angle to one another. Instead, they look like an envelope with their end points forming sextiles and trines. This allows the tension of the inner oppositions to be hidden under the outer cover of these harmonious aspects. In reality, the turmoil is just waiting to blow.
In our Mystic Rectangle, we have our Libra Moon/SN conjunction opposite the Aries NN, as well as Gemini Pluto in the 2nd House opposite Sagittarius Mercury in the 8th House. This pay shortage would literally mean death for workers and their families and all hell was about to break loose. Once it did, there was no stuffing the rage back inside the envelope. It was on full display for all to see.
May We Never Settle for Scraps
One final note on the Bread & Roses strike. The term “bread and roses” has come to symbolize the power of women fighting for their rights, needing not just to survive, but to thrive. Joan Baez even put it to music.
Women are not merely flesh vessels for baby-making and family caretaking. We are whole human beings who need love, beauty, art, comfort, and yes, food. We need both our bodies and souls to be nourished. We are not settling for scraps.
Perhaps the rallying cry of bread and roses will find new energy today as we defend the rights our ancestors fought so hard to secure and if a few folks need to lose their pants in the process, well, so be it. May we all proudly embrace our radical selves and forever rage against the patriarchy until its final embers are extinguished.