Spanish Firemen and Maritime Syndicalism, 1902–1940

Abstract

This chapter describes how Spanish firemen and Hispanic anarcho-syndicalists built a strong presence in the maritime industry in the opening decades of the twentieth century. They exchanged publications and developed interpersonal networks to sustain a culture of resistance across the Americas. Hispanic seaman played a major role in the Atlantic Coast maritime trade, primarily as firemen (fogoneros) working on ships sailing out of U.S. ports. Many fogoneros had experience in militant unions overseas, having fled persecution in Cuba or Spain. Firemen, though ill-paid, were central to the operation of coal-fired steamships, providing electricity to the ship as well as powering its engines. This chapter also examines the Strike of 1912.