RIO BLANCO STRIKE: BACKGROUND, CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The h t goes without Rio Blanco is the name given to the rebellion starring Mexican workers in Veracruz. It took place on January 7, 1907 and its protagonists were, above all, the workers of the Río Blanco textile company, inaugurated a few years earlier by President Porfirio Díaz.

Apart from the event itself, this uprising takes on great importance in the history of the country, since it is considered one of the clearest antecedents of the Mexican Revolution that would break out only 3 years later. The textile industry had become one of the most important in the nation at that time, with thousands of workers working in it.

However, the working conditions of the workers were miserable, so little by little various groups began to organize that fought for the improvement of the legislation in this regard. Porfirio Díaz led the country for 30 years and was characterized, among other things, by his closed support for businessmen.

Although it is true that economic indicators improved during his long term, the living conditions of a large part of the population remained almost in poverty. It was the Liberal Party that took the reins of support for the working population.

Background

The development of the industry during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz had changed the economic face of the country, abandoning total dependence on the agricultural sector.

Among this new industry, textiles stood out, which began to employ tens of thousands of workers. Díaz himself inaugurated the largest factory of this type in all of Latin America in Río Blanco.

The industrial boom came at the expense of workers' rights, which were practically non-existent. Furthermore, much of the factory ownership was in foreign hands.

All of this made the workers gradually begin to organize in search of improving their conditions.

The Liberal Party, then in hiding and led by Ricardo Flores Magón, positioned itself in favor of the workers' demands. The response of the businessmen was repression, imprisoning and persecuting the leaders of the movement.

Great Circle of Free Workers

Among the growing number of labor organizations, the Great Circle of Free Workers stands out. It was founded on June 1, 1906 and continues the work of the Sociedad Mutualista de Ahorros, created 4 years earlier.

The Círculo was clearly linked to the Liberal Party and maintained discreet relations with the opposition Junta Revolucionaria, based in the United States due to the lack of freedom of the Díaz regime.

Among the objectives of this organization was the claim of the 8-hour day and the increase in wages until they are worthy. The publication of the Social Revolution newspaper gave him an important speaker to defend his postulates.

First strikes

The discontent of the workers in the textile factories was soon to cause the first strikes to begin to be called. It was the workers of Puebla and Tlaxcala who began the struggle in early December 1906.

The demands were practically the same as those of the Círculo, requesting Porfirio Díaz to act as a mediator between them and the employers.

Employer strike and Díaz's decision

The businessmen reacted to all these movements with a drastic decision. They decreed an employer strike that began on December 24 of that same year. The immediate consequence was to put almost 47,000 workers out of work.

The bosses stated that the closure was not going to affect them at all and that they had many products in their warehouses.

The workers' petition to Porfirio Díaz only makes him position himself in favor of the employers. In the award issued by the presidency, he urges the workers to return to their jobs on January 7 and, in addition, ends freedom of the press and freedom of association.

Causes

- The employers decide to declare a lockout with which they tried to make the workers desist from their demands.

- In Río Blanco there were about 1700 textile workers employed, with almost slave-like conditions. The daily shift was 15 hours, practically from sunrise to sunset.

- The salaries were ridiculous: only 35 cents a day.

- Among the rules of the company, it was highlighted that if any machine broke down, the arrangement was deducted from the worker's salary.

- The rules also stipulated purchases had to be made in stores related to the company.

- It was common to see children (even under 7 years old) working and, of course, they had no right to protest or to holidays.

Development of the rebellion

Without a job and with Díaz on the part of the employers, the workers decide to take action. Thus, the day they were scheduled to return to their posts, January 7, 1907, they stood at the doors of the factories, refusing to enter. Some 2000 workers then started the rebellion, throwing stones and attacking the stingray shop.

After this they go to the police station to release several of their colleagues arrested for defending their positions. Likewise, they set fire to various possessions of the businessmen and began a march towards Nogales.

There the 13th army battalion awaited them, which began to fire indiscriminately at the positions of the workers.

Repression

The authorities had given orders to the soldiers to end the rebellion using all necessary force. After a few days of revolt, the death toll among the workers was counted in the hundreds.

Although there is no exact figure, railroad workers say they saw wagons loaded with corpses. It is estimated that they could be between 400 and 800.

Some leaders of the revolt were shot in the following days, while others managed to flee to the mountains.

At the end of the rebellion, Porfirio Díaz organized a luxurious banquet for the factory owners, all foreigners. It was his way of compensating them for the inconvenience suffered.

Consequences

Although the Rio Blanco strike ended without the workers getting their requests (apart from costing the employers a lot of money for the damage) and depriving them of the right to strike, the truth is that the repercussions were very important.

- Porfirio Díaz and his government suffered a significant loss of prestige and credibility.

- The workers' movements did not disappear, but were strengthened despite the apparent defeat. Since that date, several rebellions led by the workers occurred.

- The ideas of social improvement were expanding throughout Mexican society, until a few years later the Revolution broke out, impregnated with what the workers' struggle involved.

References

1. Destination Veracruz. The Rio Blanco strike. Obtained from destinationveracruz.com
2. National Committee for the Protection of Wages. Two Historical Strikes: Cananea and Río Blanco. Obtained from conampros.gob.mx
3. Espinosa de los Monteros, Roberto. Revolution / Río Blanco: chronicle of a textile workers movement. Obtained from bicentenario.gob.mx
4. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Rio Blanco Strike. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
5. Mason Hart. John. Revolutionary Mexico: The Coming and Process of the Mexican Revolution. Recovered from books.google.es
6. Werner, Michael S. Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico. Recovered from books.google.es
7. Gómez-Galvarriato, Aurora. Myth and Reality of Company Stores during the Porfiriato:

   The Raya Stores of Orizaba's Textile Mills. Recovered from helsinki.fi

8. Anderson, Rodney Dean. The Mexican Textile Labor Movement 1906-1907. Recovered from auislandora.wrlc.org