On January 1st, 1912, a new Massachusetts law reduced factory work hours but mill owners cut wages in response, prompting a strike by textile workers in Everett. The strike spread and was led by labor organizers Arturo Giovannitti and Joseph Ettor who helped unite different ethnic groups of workers. Striking workers faced abuse from police and militia, and mill owners refused to meet with them. After two months, the 20,000 striking textile workers in Lawrence won concessions from their employers, having resisted oppression and wage slavery.