The textile workers and Marie look at me with a dumbfounded expression. I became a little uncomfortable, but I continued my proposition.
"If it's too much, we all should stop working. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to put up with this bullsh*t anymore."
Marie grabbed my sleeve and looked at me with teary eyes.
"What are you trying to say, Sofia...hic... I need the money. I can't afford to lose my job." I held Marie's hands and looked at my coworkers. "What I'm trying to say is that all of us should stop working to pressure the manager to stop harassing us and give us better pay."
"He can fire some of us, but if a good number of us stop working, He'll be forced to give in to our demands." One of my coworkers stepped out of the crowd and asked if that was an option.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to work in this shithole anymore."
"Either we succeed and get better working conditions, or we lose our jobs and move on to another shithole."
My coworkers were talking among themselves until the manager stepped in.
"What the Hell are guys doing!"
"Do you guys want to be whores on the street or not!!"
Marie started tearing up again. Then the manager grabs her by the hair and yells at her for causing a scene. My coworkers began to whisper among themselves. I grab the manager's hand.
"That's enough! She already learned her lesson!"
Then I felt a stinging pain on my face. My coworker gasps.
The manager glared down at me.
"Who do you think you are to lay your hands on me!" "You're just a hillbilly who hasn't sold off her body yet!"
"I don't want your dirty hands on me!"
I felt a stinging rage boiling up inside. 'Who does he think he is? His only job is to yell at us. We clean the place. We dye the clothes. We're the one doing the hard work while he just sits around and stares at us creepily.'
While he was reprimanding Marie, I slapped him back. My coworkers gasp at the situation unfolding. The manager tried to pull my hair, but I kicked him in the crotch. My coworkers started cheering for me. He came at me with a right hook, but I dodged it and landed a punch to his face. I sent the manager flying across the factory, and he landed in the crates full of fabric. My coworkers stared at me with a shocked expressions. My face turned red with embarrassment as I looked towards my coworkers. They cheered loudly.
"That was amazing, Sofia!" I received a strong hug from Marie.
Another coworker came up to me and said that was the most satisfying thing she had ever seen. While other coworkers started kicking the manager when he was on the ground, others came up to me and said,
"What are we gonna do now."
'Yeah, what are we gonna do now? I didn't think I would get this far.' I think back and try to remember my time as a history major. If I remember clearly that there are many types of strikes. The most common and legal strikes in modern times were the Whipsaw strike. Which is a work stoppage against a single member of a bargaining unit composed of several employers. It is a bargaining chip used by Unions to put pressure on the employers that are not only experiencing strikes but competition from other employers.
The thing is...Unions and labor laws don't exist in this time in history. So, anything goes. There is a Walkout, which means we walk out of the factory. But it only works if the employer can't find another labor force. Another type of strike is the Slowdown strike, where we would slow down our production to pressure the employer. The problem is that I just knocked out the employer.
The best type of strike is a Sit-down strike. Where we would take hold of a factory until our conditions were met. One of the most critical Sit-down strikes is the Flint Sit-down strike from 1936-1937. It was successful in a way that it brought small unions together. At the end of the Flint Sit-down strike, workers got a 5% pay increase.
I got up on a crate. "We're gonna take hold of the factory."
"What do you mean?" my coworkers yelled in unison.
"Look, I just knocked out the manager, and you guys kicked him while he was on the ground." My coworkers were talking among themselves.
I jumped back down." So what's left to lose. The management doesn't even know our names!"
Fortunately, my coworkers decided to do a Sit-down strike. A week has passed since we took hold of the factory. Luckily the community was behind us. The tavern owner Greg would supply us with food and water. The boss tried to take back the factory, but he was a little traumatized since we beat the living shit out of him. The price of dresses for the nobility went up. The noble ladies were upset with this situation. It was terrible to the point where it upset the empress.
On our eighth day of the strike, we saw a weird banner approaching us. It was blue with a white wolf in the center. Marie yelled out.
"It's the Loup Blanc Knights."
I was confused, but it sounded familiar. Whatever it is, I know it wasn't a good sign. There was a man on a white horse who approached us. He looked different from the other knights. First, he was not wearing armor. He looked as what I pictured nobility to look like. He has black hair with blue eyes, and he has a mole under his right eye. He was carrying a rapier on his right side.
"I'm Duke Theo Agnes, and I have come to negotiate with the leader of this strike."
My coworkers were conversing among themselves.
"Wait, isn't he the "Peoples Duke," Marie whispered into my ear.
'Wait, Duke THEO, I don't believe it! It's too much of a coincidence. He even looked like the Duke from the book cover. But, wait, isn't this country called the Tessanne Empire?'
After pondering for a while, I realized I'd been reincarnated into the isekai novel "The Villainess tries to live." He's the male lead. In the novel, he is known to be fair and impartial. Honestly, this situation might be in our favor.
The Duke pulled up on his white steed"Who is the leader of this protest!"
"I am!!! "I exclaimed.
"Why are you taking hold of this factory!." as the Duke looked down at me.
"Your highness, all we want is better pay and working conditions!" "This is all we ask for!" I stared into the Duke's eye.
The Duke rubbed his chin.
"Hmmm" "Unfortunately, I can't give in to your demands."
I jumped out from the crowd. "Why!!!!"
"Please, Duke! We are sick of living paycheck to paycheck." "We are tired of living like this..."
The Duke cited. "You and your coworkers are affecting the chain of supplies!"
"You are not only affecting the nobles but also are affecting other people."
"Also, the rest of you assaulted the factory manager!"
"I have talked to the owner of the factory, and he states that it was impossible to meet your demands!"
I couldn't believe this. I never felt so disappointed in my life. 'Why! He was one of the good guys in the novel. He would also help the needy and would advocate for the poor. In the novel, he is known to be loved by the citizens of his country. He was known to be a good ruler in his dukedom. So why! Why would he do this!'
I yelled at him. "The People's Duke, my ass, at the end of the day, you're still nobility, and you will always be nobility."
I became paralyzed with frustration. I didn't know what to do in this situation. As anger courses through my veins, my body starts moving on its own. I grabbed the nearest object next to me and threw it at the Duke. It was a bag of dye. The dye splatter across the Duke's and drips down, ruining the Duke's uniform. Everyone was shocked at the situation. When I realized what I had done, the Knights were ready to execute me. As I braced myself for death, the Duke ordered the Knights to stand down.
The Duke glared at me and said, "As for now, I will show grace." "The rest of the workers will not be fired, but you will spend three days in jail."
The Duke dispersed the protest while I was dragged off to jail. I sat in the darkness with rats everywhere.
'Why did I have to reincarnate into this life? I didn't ask to live in a world where the rest of us wallow in poverty while few live a lavish lifestyle. I hate that we don't have a choice. I didn't want to live a life of poverty again. So why do the rich have to screw us over? I don't want to live this life again. We need a world with choice.'
At this moment, I swore to abolish the monarchy.