While the 2007 Writer's strike makes headlines, there are many more notable strikes in American labor history. Some strikes ended in bloodshed. Some ended in mass firings. But throughout organized labor history, the
price for higher wages and better working conditions has been chronicled by power struggles of epic proportions. Here are some of the most famous labor strikes in history.
Famous Strikes - Some of the Most Famous Labor Strikes in History
This list is by no means a complete list of labor strikes, but rather some of the most notable ones.
The Homestead Strike (1892)
This strike between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company erupted over proactive attempts to break the union. Henry Frick had been placed in charge of the Carnegie Steel Mills and was determined to get rid of the union. When the union asked for wage increases, Frick responded with wage decreases. The union went on strike.
Carnegie Steel hired Pinkerton guards to escort scabs into the mill in Homestead, PA. An armed battle erupted between guards and workers ending in seven guards and 11 strikers killed.
The strike ended in defeat for the union members.
To read a complete account of the Homestead Strike, click HERE.
Pullman Strike (1893 - 1894)
In the late 1800s, the Pullman Palace Car Company manufactured exclusive luxury train cars - the private jets of their era. A recession led to decreased demand for Pullman luxury cars and led to lowered wages. As a result, a strike erupted among Pullman workers and quickly spread to other railroad workers through the American Railway Union, headed by Eugene V. Debs.
The strikers burned and looted railroad cars and seven buildings. With the escalation of violence, 12,000 federal troops, along with United States Marshals were called in to quell the strike. Soldiers killed 13 strikers and wounded an additional 57 before the strike was brought to an unsuccessful conclusion.
Famous Strikes - Some of the Most Famous Labor Strikes in History
This list is by no means a complete list of labor strikes, but rather some of the most notable ones.
The Homestead Strike (1892)
This strike between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company erupted over proactive attempts to break the union. Henry Frick had been placed in charge of the Carnegie Steel Mills and was determined to get rid of the union. When the union asked for wage increases, Frick responded with wage decreases. The union went on strike.
Carnegie Steel hired Pinkerton guards to escort scabs into the mill in Homestead, PA. An armed battle erupted between guards and workers ending in seven guards and 11 strikers killed.
The strike ended in defeat for the union members.
To read a complete account of the Homestead Strike, click HERE.
Pullman Strike (1893 - 1894)
In the late 1800s, the Pullman Palace Car Company manufactured exclusive luxury train cars - the private jets of their era. A recession led to decreased demand for Pullman luxury cars and led to lowered wages. As a result, a strike erupted among Pullman workers and quickly spread to other railroad workers through the American Railway Union, headed by Eugene V. Debs.
The strikers burned and looted railroad cars and seven buildings. With the escalation of violence, 12,000 federal troops, along with United States Marshals were called in to quell the strike. Soldiers killed 13 strikers and wounded an additional 57 before the strike was brought to an unsuccessful conclusion.
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