Flames of Discontent: The 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike

by Gary Kaunonen

On June 2, 1916, forty mostly immigrant mineworkers at the St. James Mine in Aurora, Minnesota, walked off the job. This seemingly small labor disturbance would mushroom into one of the region’s, if not the nation’s, most contentious and significant battles between organized labor and management in the early twentieth century. Flames of Discontent tells the story of this pivotal moment and what it meant for workers and immigrants, mining and labor relations in Minnesota and beyond. Drawing on previously untapped accounts from immigrant press newspapers, company letters, personal journals, and oral histories, historian Gary Kaunonen gives voice to the strike’s organizers and working-class participants. In depth and in dramatic detail, his book describes the events leading up to the strike, and the violence that made it one of the most contentious in Minnesota history. Against the background of the physical and cultural landscape of Minnesota’s Iron Range, Kaunonen’s history brings the lives of working-class Finnish immigrants into sharp relief, documenting the conditions and circumstances behind the emergence of leftist politics and union organization in their ranks. At the same time, it shows how the region’s South Slavic immigrants went from “scabs” during a 1907 strike to full-fledged striking members of the labor revolt of 1916. A look at the media of the time reveals how the three main contenders for working-class allegiances—mine owners, Progressive reformers, and a revolutionary union—communicated with their mostly immigrant audience. Meanwhile, documents from mining company officials provide a strong argument for corruption reaching as far as the state’s then governor, Joseph A. A. Burnquist, whose strike-busting was undertaken in the interests of billion dollar corporations. Ultimately, anti-syndicalist laws were put in place to thwart the growing influence of organizations that sought to represent immigrant workers. Flames of Discontent raises the voices of those workers, and of history, against an injustice that reverberates to this day.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Labor

272 pages, Paperback

Published December 20, 2017

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish everyone who doesn't think unions are important would read this book. I also wish everyone would read this book who thinks class warfare and clashes between immigrant populations and the already - there, slightly older immigrant populations, are anything new under the sun. And after all those people read this book, maybe we would be able to avoid fighting the same battles over and over again. This was an excellently written and engaging account of the historical events, told with a modern awareness. Really good.

[Ron Nurmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

an up to date look at the 1916 Minnesota Iron Range strike lead by the IWW against the Steel Trust and independent mines. He gives the background of the players and then their role in the strike. He reviews how the strikebreakers of the 1907 strike the Southern Slavs united with the Finnish miners and the IWW.

If you are interested in Minnesota history, the Iron Range, the IWW and the immigrants to Minnesota this is well worth reading

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somethings never change. 102 years after the iron ore miners strike in northern Minnesota, immigrants are still faced with suspicion. Back then, it was the Finns, the Italians, and the South Slavs. Today, it is the Latinos, Africans, & Arabic-speakers. Sad.

Also, Minnesota history was turbulent in the 10 or so years before WWI. I don't recall at all having any Minnesota history taught when I was in school. Don't know if I could have handled this.

I really like this author's clear writing.

[Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information written with the dryness of a Thesis.

[Allyse Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a friend and colleague of Gary so I may be a bit biased here, but this book is essential for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the importance of local radical politics and unions. My day job deals with Iron Range history and I've done my fair share of research on the 1916 Strike for work. As such, I can truly attest that his work here is so well put together and researched that you do not need prior knowledge to the region or the labor movement to grasp the main concepts of this book. Furthermore, one of the most important aspects to this book is the emphasis on doing history from the bottom up. This book focuses on what it was like for average Iron Range miners and union leaders as they took on the then largest corporation in the world rather the usual top down history we receive in school.

My favorite quote from this book is, "In this book, the struggle to represent the voices of Iron Range immigrants is an attempt to posthumously restore agency to members of Minnesota’s working class. This voice, individual and collective, should be thought of as nothing less than a human right."

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those difficult reads about union organizing, because you know it will not end well for labor. Kaunonen does an excellent job of describing the parameters and history behind the story, and has done the grunt research to bring both sides to life. He covers early attempts at organizing and strikes, but his main focus is always on the 1916 strike. The outcome is never in doubt. Strikers were deprived of Constitutional protection and the Companies were allowed to run free in stomping labor down. Company hired guns were allowed the protection of the local police when they were strongarming labor. Kaunonen has documented the pulsilaminous bosses through their letters and wires. It is not a pretty or American picture. It is a must read for people interested in the labour struggle or those who think Big Business is fair in its dealings.

[Craig Schlossin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A complete history of the fight the Finnish immigrants put up for better working conditions, shorter hours and fair pay for working in the Iron mines of northern MN.
Well researched. Fights that Unions were waging all over our country in that era.

[Chris R · Rating 3 out of 5]

An inspiring story in Minnesota history about solidarity across differences, a group of largely immigrant workers fighting powerful forces for justice.

I would second what someone else mentioned about it being written in dry, academic language, like a thesis.

[Chad Laurila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great source when I was doing research for a paper I had published! It brought Iron Range history to life for me!