Photograph, Workers’ Celebration When Americans arrived on the
island, the labor movement in Puerto Rico was in its infancy.
Labor leaders were aware of the reputation of the U.S. labor
unions, so they worked to affiliate with the American Federation
of Labor (AFL) as early as 1899. Local labor unions adopted the
celebrations and rituals of similar unions in the United States
and around the world. Thus, it is not surprising to see Puerto
Rican workers, including women, celebrating Labor Day in 1918.
In the wake of their colonial status under a new power, Puerto
Rican workers struggled with new political developments, and
this kind of celebration was used as a vehicle to remind them of
the union’s commitment to the cause of the working class. This
photograph depicts a tobacco stemmers (desaplilladoras) union.
Notice that the banner contains words in English, which may
indicate their affiliation with U.S. labor unions. Source:
Gonzalez, Lydia Milagros, and Angel G. Quintero-Rivera. “Tobacco
strippers celebratin