Labor Militancy: Railroad Strike, Haymarket, Homestead, Pullman By Matthew Katz and Jesse Parsons

Railroad Strike There was and economic depression in Europe in 1873. This was combined with the turbulence of the post civil war that led to the collapse of the economy. Banks and businesses failed and fell. The unemployment rate went up to 14%. Any people that had jobs, wages were cut to around three dollars a day. In July of 1877 a railroad strike broke out in Martinsburg, west Virginia. Baltimore and Ohio railroad’s cut wages 2 times in one month. The workers refused to let trains enter and leave the station. When the military sent soldiers to stop it the soldiers refused to do anything. The strike spread to Cumberland and Baltimore. The president refused to do anything or listen to them. Fights started to breakout. The strike spread to Pitsburg. On July 21 Pennsylvania sent armed malitary in and killed 16 men and burned 39 buildings. The next day 20 more men were killed. People constantly tried to end it. In the end 100 men were killed the damage done to the railroad was totaled to 100 million dollars.

Haymarket Strike In may 1866 during a communist led workes meeting in Haymarket square aimed at the McCormack plant in Chigago a bomb exploded. The bomb targeted police who had been called in to break up the meeting. Seven policemen were killed and many were wounded. After a number of radical leaders were convicted and sentenced to prison. Seven of those convicted were sentenced to death. Four convicted men were eventually executed. Because of concerns over labor violence, public opinion tended to side against the workers who had taken place in the violence in the first place. The end impact of the Haymarket massacre was that the union movement was hurt. The riots fed into the common belief that radicals had led American workers astray and that labor unions were a threat to law and order.

Pullman Strike Started in 1894 by Eugene V. Debs Railroad car company cut wages by 30% 150,000 workers refused to work Pullman railroad cars were destroyed Cleveland sent federal troops to end strike They arrested Debs Grover Cleveland ended strike

Homestead Strike Started in 1892. Wages were cut at one of Andrew Carnegies steel plants in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh police refused to end strike. Henry Clay Frick hired 300 agents from Pinkerton Detective Agency to stop strike. Workers one the battle. Seven were killed. Benjamin Harrison eventually sent troops to stop the strike