This Day in History: 0000-06-24

June 24, 1867 – “Thousands of Chinese Railroad Laborers Strike in Western U.S.” Between 5,000-7,000 thousand Chinese laborers working on the Transcontinental Railroad staged a strike in the Sierras to protest overseers who whipped and restrained them from seeking other work. They won the right not to be whipped or beaten. A second strike in Nevada desert won Chinese laborers the right to receive the same pay as their White counterparts.  But the Chinese were still required to buy their own supplies while Whites got free room, board and supplies.