5 May 1886: Bay View massacre

About this episode

The episode discusses the Bay View Massacre that occurred on May 5, 1886, during a labor strike in Milwaukee.

On this day, 5 May 1886, the Bay View Massacre took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 14,000 labourers at Milwaukee's largest employer, Bay View Rolling Mills, were striking to replace the ten-hour shift with an eight-hour workday for the same rate of pay. The Wisconsin State Militia, which was dispatched by Governor Jeremiah Rusk, opened fire on the strikers. The aftermath resulted in sixty wounded, and seven unarmed workers dead. Among those who died are Frank Kunkel, Frank Nowarczyk, John Marsh, Robert Erdman, Johann Zazka, Martin Jankowiak, Michael Ruchalski, and a 13 year old boy. Learn more about the strike for the eight hour day and May Day which commemorates it in our podcast episode 85, available for our patreon supporters: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e85-may-day-with-103374699 More info and sources: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/11384/Bay-View-massacre Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our…

People in this episode

Host: Working Class History

Topics covered

• labor history
• strikes
• workers' rights
• eight-hour workday
• violence against workers

Keywords

• Bay View Massacre
• labor strike
• eight-hour workday
• Milwaukee
• workers' rights
• violence
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wisconsin State Militia, Bay View Rolling Mills

Places: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

More episodes of On This Day in Working Class History

• 13 June 1992: Burnsall strike · June 13, 2026 · 1 min
• 12 June 2011: Botswana general strike · June 12, 2026 · 1 min
• 11 June 2016: Mauritania miners strike · June 11, 2026 · 1 min
• 10 June 1973: Gravediggers strike expands · June 10, 2026 · 1 min
• 9 June 1963: Fannie Lou Hamer arrested · June 9, 2026 · 2 min
• 8 June 1861: Queensland miners strike · June 8, 2026 · 1 min