Streetcar strikes in the United States
Encyclopedia
Between the years 1895 and 1929, streetcar strikes in the United States affected almost every major city in the country. Sometimes lasting only a few days, more often these strikes were "marked by almost continuous and often spectacular violent conflict," at times amounting to prolonged riots and weeks of civil insurrection.
Electrified streetcars posed an attractive target for striking unions like the Amalgamated Street Railway Employees of America
. Unlike factory buildings, streetcar routes and cars were spread out and difficult to protect; moreover, the routes went through the working-class neighborhoods of cities. The riders tended to be sympathetic to union causes. Their overhead electric powerlines and physical tracks were vulnerable to sabotage. And their function as transportation for workers in other industries opened the possibility of leveraging a transit strike into a general strike, as in the Philadelphia trolley strike and riots of 1910
.
Streetcar strikes rank among the deadliest armed conflicts in American labor union history. Samuel Gompers
of the American Federation of Labor
called the St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900
"the fiercest struggle ever waged by the organized toilers" up to that point, with a total casualty count of 14 dead and about 200 wounded, more than the Pullman Strike
of 1894. The casualty count for the San Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907
saw 30 killed and about 1000 injured.
Despite the transit disruption, which sometimes lasted for months, and despite the fact that many of the casualties were passengers and innocent bystanders, "the strikers invariably enjoyed wide public support, which extended beyond the working class."
The owners' tactic was simply to keep the routes running. To counter hostile crowds, the line owners turned to strikebreakers. Foremost among them was the nationally known James A. Farley (1874-1913), who specialized in streetcar strikes -- he claimed to have broken 50 -- and was said to command an army of forty thousand scabs to be deployed anywhere in the country. Much of the violence of the 1907 San Francisco strike was attributable to Farley, who reportedly cleared $1 million there. He was doing more than $10 million dollars in business by 1914.
The 1929 New Orleans streetcar strike appears to be the last of its kind. The rise of private automobile ownership took the edge off its impact, as an article in the Chicago Tribune
observed as early as 1915.
Scenes of streetcar strikes, and the friction between owners and workers, appear in contemporary fiction such as Theodore Dreiser
's Sister Carrie
of 1900 (based on Dreiser's own experience in a Toledo, Ohio
strike), and William Dean Howells
' A Hazard of New Fortunes
of 1890.
Electrified streetcars posed an attractive target for striking unions like the Amalgamated Street Railway Employees of America
Amalgamated Transit Union
The Amalgamated Transit Union is a labor union in the United States and The Amalgamated Transit Union Canadian Council in Canada, representing workers in the transit system and other industries...
. Unlike factory buildings, streetcar routes and cars were spread out and difficult to protect; moreover, the routes went through the working-class neighborhoods of cities. The riders tended to be sympathetic to union causes. Their overhead electric powerlines and physical tracks were vulnerable to sabotage. And their function as transportation for workers in other industries opened the possibility of leveraging a transit strike into a general strike, as in the Philadelphia trolley strike and riots of 1910
Philadelphia general strike (1910)
The General Strike of 1910 was a labor strike by trolley workers of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company that grew to a city-wide riot and general strike in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
Streetcar strikes rank among the deadliest armed conflicts in American labor union history. Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
called the St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900
St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900
The St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900 was a labor action, and resulting civil disruption, against the St. Louis Transit Company by a group of three thousand workers unionized by the Amalgamated Street Railway Employees of America....
"the fiercest struggle ever waged by the organized toilers" up to that point, with a total casualty count of 14 dead and about 200 wounded, more than the Pullman Strike
Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nationwide conflict between labor unions and railroads that occurred in the United States in 1894. The conflict began in the town of Pullman, Illinois on May 11 when approximately 3,000 employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company began a wildcat strike in response to recent...
of 1894. The casualty count for the San Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907
San Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907
The San Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907 was among the most violent of the streetcar strikes in the United States between 1895 and 1929. Before the end of the strike, thirty-one people had been killed and about 1100 injured....
saw 30 killed and about 1000 injured.
Despite the transit disruption, which sometimes lasted for months, and despite the fact that many of the casualties were passengers and innocent bystanders, "the strikers invariably enjoyed wide public support, which extended beyond the working class."
The owners' tactic was simply to keep the routes running. To counter hostile crowds, the line owners turned to strikebreakers. Foremost among them was the nationally known James A. Farley (1874-1913), who specialized in streetcar strikes -- he claimed to have broken 50 -- and was said to command an army of forty thousand scabs to be deployed anywhere in the country. Much of the violence of the 1907 San Francisco strike was attributable to Farley, who reportedly cleared $1 million there. He was doing more than $10 million dollars in business by 1914.
The 1929 New Orleans streetcar strike appears to be the last of its kind. The rise of private automobile ownership took the edge off its impact, as an article in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
observed as early as 1915.
Scenes of streetcar strikes, and the friction between owners and workers, appear in contemporary fiction such as Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
's Sister Carrie
Sister Carrie
Sister Carrie is a novel by Theodore Dreiser about a young country girl who moves to the big city where she starts realizing her own American Dream by first becoming a mistress to men that she perceives as superior and later as a famous actress...
of 1900 (based on Dreiser's own experience in a Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
strike), and William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells was an American realist author and literary critic. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day" and the novel The Rise of...
' A Hazard of New Fortunes
A Hazard of New Fortunes
A Hazard of New Fortunes is a novel by William Dean Howells. First published in 1890, the book was well-received for its awareness of social injustice—indeed, the book, considered by many to be his best work, was one of three Howells had written with Socialist and Utopian ideals in mind; The...
of 1890.
Major examples
The most significant examples of American streetcar strikes in terms of scale, length, and number of casualties include:- 1895, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the first in which Farley was involved - 1899, Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
- 1900, St. LouisSt. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900The St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900 was a labor action, and resulting civil disruption, against the St. Louis Transit Company by a group of three thousand workers unionized by the Amalgamated Street Railway Employees of America....
, where the dynamiting of streetcars was a "nightly occurrence" - 1907, San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907The San Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907 was among the most violent of the streetcar strikes in the United States between 1895 and 1929. Before the end of the strike, thirty-one people had been killed and about 1100 injured....
, with 31 killed and an estimated 1000 people injured - 1908, Pensacola, Florida
- 1913, Indianapolis
- 1917, the San Francisco United Railroads strike
- 1920, Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, with at least 6 dead and 44 wounded - 1929, New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...