The August 2024 T-Shirt of the Month is called “Força Operária” and pays tribute to one of the most significant labor struggles in Brazilian history. The design is inspired by the General Strike of Rio de Janeiro in 1917, which officially ended on August 2. After weeks of harsh confrontations between workers, the state, and the industrial elite, the strike concluded with an agreement for a 56-hour work week and a 10 percent wage increase.
The spark from São Paulo
The movement had begun in July 1917 in São Paulo, where workers protested against unbearable conditions, hunger, and repression. News of the unrest quickly reached Rio de Janeiro. On the morning of July 18, a furniture worker decided to stop working after hearing about the strikes in São Paulo. Two of his colleagues immediately joined him. By the afternoon, 150 workers were on strike in solidarity.
The momentum grew fast. On July 19, five factories were already shut down. Within days, the movement spread uncontrollably. On July 22, the F.O.S.P. of Rio de Janeiro officially called for a general strike. The response exceeded all expectations. On the morning of July 23, 50,000 workers joined, and by the afternoon another 20,000 metalworkers had walked out.
A textbook general strike
The demands of the workers were straightforward. They wanted an eight-hour workday and a 20 percent wage increase. What followed was a spontaneous general strike in the truest sense. Industry after industry ground to a halt. In many places workers themselves took control of production. Beyond São Paulo and Rio, the strike reached as far as Porto Alegre, the largest city in southern Brazil.
Repression and martial law
The government reacted immediately and with great severity. On July 26, it declared martial law. The army, navy, and police guarded strategic areas of Rio de Janeiro, trying to suppress the strike through force. Yet the movement proved too strong, and solidarity too widespread. The strike continued into August. Eventually the government realized that it could not keep an entire population under control by repression alone.
Industrial leaders were forced to negotiate, and a compromise was reached. The result was a 56-hour work week and a 10 percent pay increase. On August 2, 1917, the strike officially came to an end.
Women at the forefront
One of the striking features of this historical episode was the central role played by women. In São Paulo, it was women workers who were among the first to walk out and call for action. Their courage demonstrated that labor struggles were not only fought by men, but also by women determined to demand justice and dignity.
The design by Helena Lopes
The August design was created by Helena Lopes, a tattoo artist based in Rio de Janeiro. She chose to place a woman at the center of the artwork as a direct reference to the role of women who had initiated the strikes in São Paulo.
The words “Força Operária” translate roughly as “Workers’ Power” or “Workers’ Strength.” They highlight the collective force that emerges when workers stand together. The second phrase, “Greve Geral”, simply means “General Strike,” recalling the moment when Brazilian workers brought industry to a halt.
Wearing history
The T-Shirt of the Month August 2024 is more than just a piece of clothing. It is a tribute to courage, solidarity, and resistance. It connects today’s struggles with those of the past, reminding us that rights were never given freely, but won through collective action. Wearing this shirt is a way to keep that history alive and to signal that the fight for justice continues.
Get your August 2024 T-Shirt of the Month and carry the memory of the 1917 General Strike in Rio de Janeiro with you.
Worn With Attitude
At irregular intervals, we will be giving people from the dna merch community a chance to have their say in the “worn with attitude” category. Valerio from Italy is kicking things off!
Listen, watch, and read what he has to say.
Where are you from and what do you do for a living?
I'm from Civita Castellana, also called the land of toilets because, especially in the past, it was full of toilet factories. Actually I am a worker for a big international energy company.
Is it correct that you are the elected union representative at your workplace? In your opinion, why are unions important?
Yes, I am and I think that it's thanks to the unions if today we have some rights that workers in the past didn't have. But I am afraid that workers today are not as united as they once were. There's a lack of power, first of all for the workers themselves, and then for the unions, which I think in the last decades are not doing a good job anymore.
How did you learn about dna merch?
I learn about DNA because it was born by a very good friend of mine.
Is "Força Operária" your first T-shirt from us?
To tell the truth, it is not the real first t shirt from DNA, I have one from the Casualties punk band, when DNA used to work with bands too.
Do you want to say anything else?
I want to say that I don't see a beautiful future for the workers if they won't think and act like one! And porcoddio let me say that if you can, please fuck your greedy bosses, fuck your company if they try to fuck you, and fuck all those nationalists too!
Valerio is wearing a long sleeve T-shirt of the August 2024 Working Class History Design. You can get it by clicking on the below artwork.