A History Of Strikes In America: We Control Our Labor And Our Wallets

The general strike, where labor is halted by laborers en masse, has brought about wide-ranging change throughout the history of the U.S. and worldwide.

One of the most significant was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 (also called the Great Upheaval). Over 100,000 people took part over several months and across multiple states. An estimated 1,000 of them were jailed and 100 or more died. All told, their refusal to comply halted, rerouted, or delayed over 50% of U.S. freight.

It also led to political gains for the Populist Party, the Workingmen’s Party, the Knights of Labor, and the Greenback-Labor Party. Those increases sparked the Republican and Democratic parties to enact bipartisan efforts that solidified labor rights, and as a result, the Bureau of Labor was formed in 1884.

Federal troops were used throughout the Great Upheaval against crowds of striking workers. The Posse Comitatus Act was passed with huge bipartisan support in 1878, putting restraints on the President’s powers to use federal troops in domestic law enforcement actions.

Widely considered the most poignant moment of the Great Upheaval was the Haymarket Affair. During a demonstration on May 4th, 1886 at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a bomb was thrown at police who were there to disperse crowds striking in favor of an eight-hour workday. Gunfire erupted and the result was four dead citizens and dozens more wounded. Seven police officers also died.

We commemorate that day, and workers in general, on the first Monday of each May which is known as International Worker’s Day or Labor Day here in the United States.