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<v Speaker 1>On This Day and Working Class History the twelfth of

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<v Speaker 1>January and on the twelfth of January nineteen thirteen, the

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<v Speaker 1>General Confederation of Workers was formed at the Germinile's Study

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<v Speaker 1>Center in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was an anarchosyndicalist

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<v Speaker 1>union for all workers, based on the principles of collective action,

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<v Speaker 1>direct democracy, and federalism. In its first decade, the union

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<v Speaker 1>fought to eliminate child labor and for better pay, shorter hours,

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<v Speaker 1>better conditions, better health and safety, and more leisure for

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<v Speaker 1>workers and their families. It led two of the first

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<v Speaker 1>strikes in the country in the twentieth century, one of

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<v Speaker 1>which was against the Notorius multinational Corporation the United Fruit

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<v Speaker 1>Company in Limon, and the union helped improve the quality

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<v Speaker 1>of life for many poor Costa Ricans. In nineteen twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>at its third congress, reformist socialists took control of the union

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<v Speaker 1>and decided to set up a political party and stand

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<v Speaker 1>in elections.

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<v Speaker 2>The sources maps and all of our anniversaries each day,

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<v Speaker 2>check out the on This Day section of our stories

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<v Speaker 2>at at stories Stop Workingclasshistory dot com, and if you

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<v Speaker 2>value our work, support us at Patreon dot com. Slash

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<v Speaker 2>working class history. Links in the show notes. The music

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<v Speaker 2>by a Dead See You Tomorrow,