"What? A general strike? Chinese workers? Why are they? ”

After listening to the overseer's report, Manager Riley was in disbelief.

He had been in the coal mine for so many years and had heard of a Chinese trade union strike for the first time.

"This is ridiculous, how can Chinese workers strike." Riley's mouth was full of words.

At this moment, however, another commotion came from across the river.

Riley and the Overseer rushed out of the house again and climbed up the hill.

"What are they doing?" Riley looked at the workers gathered in front of the Knights of Labor.

He felt like he was going crazy!

The overseer looked in that direction carefully, and he noticed that more and more workers, who had returned to work, had come out of Shaft 6.

"Hey, Chief, I guess, we've seen history." The overseer uttered something that he would not normally say, "The Chinese workers seem to have united with the white miners." ”

Riley didn't speak, the expression on his face was pained.

He doesn't want to witness history, he just wants to receive a salary and be an honest manager.

A little more than an hour ago, he had just sent a telegram to headquarters, telling them that there was no problem here.

In the opinion of Manager Riley, this is the best outcome.

The contradiction was successfully channelled to those Chinese workers.

The Chinese workers may have some losses, but this does not prevent them from continuing to dig coal for the company;

As for the white miners, just continue to curse those Chinese workers! Love to do it or not.

But now the situation has changed, and the most unexpected situation has appeared.

Manager Riley had to go and send a telegram to headquarters again.

Give yourself a slap in the face first, indicating that the telegram from an hour ago was pure.

Then tell the old men sitting in the office:

They will have to face a joint general strike!

"Chief, what do we do now?" The Overseer looked at Riley with a blank eye.

"Spend it first, wait for the union to come to us." Riley is quite experienced, "They are expected to make a request to us soon, so we can just drag it out and wait for a reply from the headquarters by the way." ”

He pointed to the overseer: "If the headquarters is willing to delay, then we will delay, I really don't believe that these people have no jobs to rely on to support their families." ”

Sure enough, the next day, Hawley and Hanks showed up at Riley's office.

came with them, as well as Liao Dabai.

"Our requirements are written here!" Hawley handed a piece of paper to Riley.

"First of all, we are asking for a return to the original price of coal from four cents to five cents per bushel (unit of measurement, 35.238 liters) dug of coal."

"Secondly, we are demanding a reduction in the hours of forced labor, and this way of working now has caused great harm to our bodies!"

Hawley clearly recounted the union's demands to Riley, point by point.

These requirements were agreed upon at a meeting.

Chen Jianqiu didn't show up, he seemed to be busy with other things, and Li Sifu took the boat to the opposite side instead of him and attended the meeting.

Riley smiled and nodded the whole time, looking kind and approachable.

"No problem, I'll report this to the headquarters, but I still hope that everyone will return to their posts! After all, the company is a whole. ”

Riley said calmly.

"Only when the hoe is wielded can there be income, and everyone still has to take care of the overall situation."

Hawley had no intention of saving face for the manager.

He stood up straight:

"Sir, I can tell you unequivocally that this strike action is united."

He took out a telegram and slapped it on the table.

"From San Francisco to Kansas City, every Pacific Coal Company mine on this rail line will go on strike! If you can't meet our requirements, then I vouch for my personality that no worker will return to work! ”

Hawley stared at Riley in the eye.

Both sides have no intention of making concessions, and naturally it is impossible to negotiate.

The members of the union turned and walked out of the cabin.

Looking at their backs, Riley sneered.

Now it depends on whether the headquarters is willing to bear the cost of the shutdown.

It's unrealistic for you to expect those workers to be monolithic, and after a little longer, there will definitely be people who can't survive first.

We'll see.

Liao Dabai and Hanks are also a little worried about this issue.

The wages of the Chinese workers were already deducted badly, and if the strike continued, it would mean that they would have to eat their old capital;

Although the income of the white miners will be much higher, they often have families with them, and if they cut off their income, the family will soon be unable to open the pot.

You can't ask everyone to be willing to hold on.

They shared their concerns with Hawley.

Hawley only said one sentence: "Mr. Chen said he would solve these problems." ”

The two suspiciously followed Hawley out of Mine 3.

It was evening.

The Chinese workers in Shiquan Town sit in front of their dormitories or houses.

After coming to the United States, these people almost never had time for themselves, let alone what leisure was.

At this time, some of them were chatting; Some were cooking dinner; Others are like children who pick out stones on the ground and play games.

Suddenly, a young miner screamed loudly.

He sat on the same bucket that Sean had drilled earlier, looking in the direction of Carben County.

"Boss Chen is back!"

The crowd looked in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, several flatbed wagons with cloth behind them appeared on the only road.

And Chen Jianqiu, with a stick of grass in his mouth, sat on the wheel of the first carriage.

The carriage quickly pulled up to the open space in the residential area.

Chen Jianqiu jumped down.

"Lift!"

He greeted Li Sifu.

Li Sifu walked quickly to the carriage with a few Chinese militiamen and lifted the canvas covering the carriage.

The car was full of bulging cloth bags.

Chen Jianqiu untied the rope of one of the cloth bags and reached in.

By the time he pulled his hand out of the cloth bag, it had turned white.

Chen Jianqiu opened his palm.

"Wheat flour!"

The Chinese worker next to him exclaimed.

Chen Jianqiu stuffed the flour in his hand back into the bag, and then tied the mouth back on.

"Let's rest for two days, here's some flour." He pointed to the two wagons behind him, "There are potatoes there, and all kinds of vegetables and meat will be delivered later." ”

"The Pacific Coal Mining Company is willing to consume, so we will consume it with him. I'll see if it's their loss, or ours. ”

Chen Jianqiu looked at the hillside where Manager Riley was.

Manager Riley and the overseer also stretched out their heads to look at their side.

"By the way, Sean, use a boat to send some to the other side of the river, there are not many things, but it is not a big problem to hold on for more than a week." Chen Jianqiu called Sean and commanded.

On the hillside, Riley was a little angry.

He didn't expect that these Chinese workers would actually get food and plan to fight with the Pacific Coal Mining Company for a long time.

The question is, where the hell did they get the money to procure the supplies?!

His heart kept scolding his mother:

This group of Chinese workers really slipped away from their bad learning, or they either didn't strike, or they used their savings to play with their lives.

As for it?

Now these Chinese workers in front of them have food and guns, what kind of work are they going to strike? Directly robbed the coal mine.

Thinking of this, Riley felt a chill down his spine.

These Chinese workers belong to a group beyond the scope of his knowledge, so it is impossible for him to guess what they will do.

No way! Gotta notify the headquarters and ask them to send someone to protect the mine!

(End of chapter)