Bread And Roses Strike - Fair Wear - Unisex Organic T-Shirt - FREE DELIVERY

This design pays homage to the two-month-long so-called “Bread & Roses” strike that ended on 14 March 1912 in Lawrence, Massachusetts in the USA. Two days earlier, on 12 March, factory owners gave in to most of the demands of the 20,000 striking women and girls. The walkout, initiated by Polish women workers, was denounced by the American Federation of Labour as too “revolutionary” and “anarchist”. Because of the lack of support, the women workers turned instead to the more radical Industrial Workers of the World union. The name of the strike refers on the one hand to the satisfaction of basic needs like bread and on the other hand to the beautiful things in life, symbolised by roses. Both are worth fighting for. In a song that was sung at the protests, it says “yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too”. It is worth mentioning the extremely inclusive organising work of the women workers, whose meetings were translated into almost 30 languages to enable all ethnic groups to actively participate in the strike. Together they confronted brutal police and military repression and eventually won major concessions for the entire garment industry at the time. In particular, they won a 15 per cent wage increase, double overtime pay and amnesty for most of the strikers. A campaign to free IWW organisers arrested during the strike continued until they were acquitted in November.

This design was done by artist and tattooist Nora Lehrmann. Nora chose a drawing of roses and wheat as a symbol for bread to represent the strike. She has also included the period of the strike (11.01.-14.03.1912) in a banderole. This time, the design deliberately does without an ‘intrusive’ slogan and captivates with the simple and subtle beauty of the monochrome drawing.

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Stay stylish with this unisex t-shirt. It’s made from 100% organic combed ring-spun cotton, combining comfort with durability. The textured ribbed neck strikes a balance between sporty and casual and adds versatility to your wardrobe. Timeless and top quality—this is the t-shirt you’ll want to wear on repeat.
• 100% organic combed ring-spun cotton
• Fabric weight: 5.3 oz./yd.² (180 g/m²)
• Regular fit
• Set-in sleeves
• 1 × 1 rib at collar
• Double-needle topstitch on the sleeves and bottom hems
• Self-fabric neck tape on the inside of the back
• The fabric of this product holds certifications for its organic cotton content under GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OCS (Organic Content Standard)
• Blank product sourced from Bangladesh

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

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