Throughout history, working class people have stood up and fought back against oppression and exploitation in the food system. Each month, Food Fight documents a timeline of historical labor struggles to inform and educate today’s workers on historical class struggle in the food industry. We commemorate their struggles each day of the month.
January 1
1994: The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) coordinates a twelve day uprising in protest of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
2018: Deliveroo riders in Harlem go on strike, disabling service for multiple hours
January 2
1950: Meat porters at Smithfield’s shut down the meat supply in London
2022: Workers walk off the job at Portland Pie Company over the company’s handling of COVID protections
January 3
1915: Worker strike at the Williams & Clark fertilizer company in New Jersey over pay cuts
January 4
1917: Mass strikes erupt in Guyana over wages and the length of the working day. Workers in ice factories and sugar estates participate
2014: A demand letter is submitted to management of the Bombay Grill in Seattle, demanding payment of stolen wages to a former employee
January 5
1948: Striking government cafeteria workers in Washington, DC begin picketing after declaring a strike on December 31
2012: Workers strike at five Snow Beer production facilities in Dalian, China
2022: Workers strike at the Elmwood Avenue Starbucks in Buffalo over unsafe working conditions
January 6
1948: Striking government cafeteria workers in Washington, DC picket outside of the Commerce Department
2005: Residents in Durban resist government water shut offs
2022: Workers strike at Del Monte plantations in Kenya
January 7
1913: Bakers and workers across other various industries in Peru strike for the 8-hour day
1947: A work stoppage takes place across 50 GCI facilities in Washington, DC
2018: Workers at the Haft Tapeh sugar cane plantation and mill company go on strike
January 8
1811: Slaves revolt across sugar plantations in the Territory of Orleans
1913: A waitstaff strike in New York City spreads to the Astor Hotel, which leads to physical conflicts with police and scab workers
2022: Workers at Dollar General in Galveston shut down the store over health and safety concerns
2024: Drivers strike at US Foods distribution centers in Bensenville
January 9
1931: A riot breaks out in Adelaide following a government decision to remove beef from unemployment rations
January 10
1894: Peasants revolt in Korea
1977: Workers strike at the Continental Hotel in Kikor
2007: Customs workers block the exportation of food during a general strike in Guinea, resulting in lower food prices for local consumers
2023: Panera workers near Atlanta deliver a letter to management, demanding improved wages and working conditions
January 11
2022: IWW members at Dill Pickle Food Coop in Chicago walk off the job in response to a worker being retaliated against for demanding hazard pay
January 12
2015: Workers at Pure Food & Wine in Manhattan strike over pay disputes
January 13
1947: Hotel workers, domestic workers and workers across other various industries declare a general strike in Mombasa in protest of low wages and high costs of living
2012: A demand letter is presented to the general manager of a pizzeria in Seattle, demanding back pay for a pizza chef
2024: Workers at French Truck in New Orleans walk off the job in protest of management’s inaction in addressing violence from customers
January 14
2006: On the hundredth day of the Gate Gourmet strike in Germany, supporters block building exits and prohibit catering deliveries from reaching airplanes
2014: A demand letter is delivered to management of Bombay Grill in Seattle, demanding stolen wages for a cook
January 15
2021: Fast food workers strike across the US against low wages
January 16
2016: Beer promoters at Cambrew in Cambodia go on strike over paid maternity leave and other benefits
January 17
1915: IWW organizer Lucy Parsons leads a march against hunger and unemployment in Chicago
2005: Striking plantation workers in the Solomon Islands clash with police
2021: Workers strike at Hunts Point Produce Market in New York City
January 18
1886: Workers strike at the Shelton Silver Plate and Cutlery Company in Connecticut over a pay dispute
1977: The Bread Intifada begins, in which workers across Egypt went on strike and occupied workplaces in protest of cuts to subsidies for food and other basic necessities
January 19
1979: Farm workers strike across 35 major vegetable growers and shippers over a wage dispute
January 20
1888: Domestic, hotel, restaurant and sweet shop workers go on strike in Buenos Aires
1955: Sit-ins are staged at lunch counters at the Read Drug Store in downtown Baltimore and at the Northwood Shopping Center in protest of racial segregation
January 21
1921: The La Anita and La Primavera ranches in Santa Cruz, Argentina are seized by striking workers
2019: Workers at Italpizza in Modena go on strike against wage cuts and retaliation
January 22
1826: Field hand members of the Acjachemen Nation at the San Juan Capistrano mission go on strike against colonization and exploitation
January 23
1913: IWW organizer Carlo Tresca leads a demonstration of waiters in which hotel windows are smashed during a general strike
January 24
1913: Waiters swarm the Ritz Carlton in New York City during a general strike
January 25
1787: Poor farmers and war veterans rebel against debt burdens
1835: Slaves revolt in Salvador da Bahía
1979: Farm workers and supporters picket Kroger in Ann Arbor
1986: Striking workers shut down a Hormel plant in Ottumwa
January 26
1913: Waiters strike at the Wurtzburger Hofbrau restaurant in New York City during dinner service
January 27
1918: The Finnish Revolution begins, which eventually redistributed land, and emancipated domestic workers and farmhands
January 28
1935: Sugar cane cutters in St. Kitts go on strike against low wages and racism
January 29
1935: Sugar factory workers in St. Kitts strike in solidarity with striking cane cutters
January 30
2018: Striking agrarian workers in Peru block motorways and set fire to government installations
January 31
1938: Pecan shellers go on strike in San Antonio
1957: Bagel bakers strike in New York City