Ybor City cigar makers' strike of 1931

1931 Ybor cigar makers' strike
Lector reading at Cuesta-Rey Cigar Company, Tampa, 1929
Date	November 26, - December 11, 1931
Location	Ybor City, Tampa, Fl
Caused by	Elimination of the lector
Parties
Striking workers Trade Union Unity League Cigar Companies Tampa Police Ku Klux Klan
Number
8,000 workers

The Ybor cigar makers' strike of 1931 took place in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, starting on November 26^[1] and ended in December. Some strikers were jailed, "Lectors" were banned and there was a lockout. Following legal intervention, some workers returned to work at previous wage levels but others were not re-employed. Lectors had by tradition been elected by the workers and, as well as reading aloud newspaper articles, often from left-wing radical publications, they recited and acted more generally, including from classic works – effectively they provided a form of education for illiterate workers. The most significant effect of the strike in the longer term was that the lector culture was brought to an end.