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Eyewitness testimony: All eyewitnesses agreed that doors leading stairways and passenger elevators were locked, which led to the enormous loss of life.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire exemplified large business owners’ inability to uphold safe working conditions for all workers. It showed how the benefits brought by labor unions directly affected the safety of workers. The protests and strikes held by the ladies garment association proved this to the rest of America.

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Findings

Long-term cause: Overall terrible environment of factory life, sweatshop type setting, and people were forced to work grueling conditions. The workers were also Jewish women, who in history were marginalized against. The people went on strike, and sought better wages, standardized work day and improved working conditions.

Short term cause of tragedy: The capitalist factory workers wanted money, so they made sure the workers did not leave, so some closed fire doors to keep them working.

At the moment of the fire, the fire door was locked as a result of the working conditions, so Max Blank, the factory owner, deserves the blame for the tragedy for locking the doors. He went on trial and went on trial in the Court of Special Sessions.

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In the short term, the pullman car strike was caused by the company cutting wages without lowering rents or living costs, which many workers resented.  It also caused living standards to collapse, causing hardships like starvation. However, George Pullman wanted to maintain the high rent, and refused to negotiate with the residents.  Also, since the majority of the residents were immigrants, they did not agree with Pullman’s single Christian church mentality.  Lastly, the ARU were supporting the workers, which initiated the strike and helped them carry it out.

In the long term, George Pullman had made his company town seem like a good environment, but the company ended up having control over the majority of workers’ lives, which they disliked and were harmed by.  Also, they continued to have poor working conditions and wage cuts, which Pullman refused to negotiate about, and this angered the workers.  The economic inequality at that time was a huge long-term cause as well.

Who deserved the blame: George Pullman himself was to blame because of his policies that led to the strike, and he didn’t want to enter arbitration with his workers. He refused to negotiate or lower rent after he cut wages during this economic depression. However, in his testimony before the investigative commission,  he defended his model town and his decisions, though it led to a strike that damaged the company and its workers.

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Long-term cause: Overall terrible environment of factory life, sweatshop type setting, and people were forced to work grueling conditions. The workers were also Jewish women, who in history were marginalized against. The people went on strike, and sought better wages, standardized work day and improved working conditions.

Short term cause of tragedy: The capitalist factory workers wanted money, so they made sure the workers did not leave, so some closed fire doors to keep them working.

At the moment of the fire, the fire door was locked as a result of the working conditions, so Max Blank, the factory owner, deserves the blame for the tragedy for locking the doors. He went on trial and went on trial in the Court of Special Sessions.

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Who:
Railroad workers, especially employees of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, along with state militias, federal troops, and local governments.

What:
It was a massive labor strike in which railroad workers protested wage cuts and poor working conditions. It became the first major nationwide labor conflict in U.S. history.

When:
The strike began on July 16, 1877

Where:
It started in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and spread to major cities across the Midwest and Northeast, including Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Why:
Workers were angry over repeated wage cuts, long hours, unsafe conditions, and the economic depression following the Panic of 1873. They felt exploited by powerful railroad companies and demanded fair pay and treatment.

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Long term effects: Long term effects included more increased demands for 8 hour workdays and brought more attention to workers’ rights. Over time, labor laws and protections contributed to safer working conditions and shorter working hours. Labor radicals were targets by the government and criminalized so public fear of radicalism increased. Consequently, union support also declined. The trials after raised serious concern about unfair judgments.

Short term effects: After this riot took place, labor union strikes and riots were repressed heavily by the government and militias. The Knights of Labor lost support and the AFL’s influence grew. Anti-immigrant ideals also grew and mass arrests and police raids led to suppressed rights like free speech. With the growth of more propaganda in the media, public fear of anarchy grew which fully cancelled the workers’ possibilities of getting 8-hour work days.

Blame: Since corporations were overworking their laborers, they came together to strike against the corporations to try to reduce their working hours to 8 per day. What really set of the radical ideals of this was the 8 anarchists in the Knights of Labor planting the bomb that killed police officers.

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"The dispatcher undertook to find men who would go, but all the train men refused. He then made up two crews from the yard men... when the striking men, led by one Andrew Hice, threw coupling pins and other missiles at the brakeman who was attempting to couple on the engine... he had to run for his life." - By Alleghny Dwyane, worker at the railroad.

"Mr. Watt stepped up and said 'I will open the switch,' when a brakeman by the name of Davis stepped in front of him, and said 'boys we might as well die right here,' and made some demonstrations. At this moment a man named McCall, standing behind Davis, struck Mr. Watt in the eye; that ended the attempt to open the switch at that time." - By Davis M. Watt, serving superintendent.

"The mayor replied that he would have nothing to do with it; the whole matter was taken out of his hands; they had no business to bring troops there. Mr. Stewart asked him if he would see Mr. Cassatt [Railroad VP]... His answer was: 'No, I will have nothing to do with it,' and he turned and left." - By Mayor Guthrie.

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“Seven or eight men, all of whom were masked were concerned in the affair”

“The Pullman strike was not declared until the employees of the Pullam company were driven to the verge of starvation”

“No, sir; I would answer your question in this way. There would

have been no trouble with the railway companies had it not been

for the Pullman trouble. The delegates regarded it as an inauspicious time for the inauguration of a strike for any purpose on account of the depressed condition of the country, but the grievances

the delegates and their constituents had already suffered at the

hands of the railway companies aggravated the condition, and

wrought them up to a point to at least espouse the cause of the

Pullman employees at the time the convention met.”

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Who - Consisted of about 3,000 to 4,000 workers at the beginning of the strike, then quickly escalated to about 250,000 workers in a nationwide railway strike.

Why - Pullman workers had made a grievance committee to try and reason with the company. After the negotiations were going nowhere, the workers decided to strike despite being told against it by the ARU.

When - It took place from May to July of 1984.

Where - It was located in Pullman, Illinois. The workers struck against a widely used car and railroad company, which affected railroad traffic nationwide.

https://www.nps.gov/pull/learn/historyculture/the-strike-of-1894.htm

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Visual Evidence: The Maryland National Guard Unit Firing Upon The Strikers 

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Visual Evidence: The Maryland National Guard Unit Firing Upon The Strikers 

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Investigation Findings: What were the long-term / short-term causes of this event? The long term effect was a shift in how workers fought for better conditions/wages, instead opting for better organization into large unions and less radical forms or protest, (no longer any local strikes). There was also a ‘red scare’ against laborers, fearing radicalism and violence amongst workers as companies tried to demonize them, (lack of sympathy).

In short term effects, there were new labor movements like the American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor. There was also a large-scale failure in achieving better wages, with even some wage cuts. Commerce and transportation infrastructure were destroyed, and the local economy was devastated.

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The railroad companies deserve blame as they cut wages, refused to negotiate with their workers, and put profits over the worker’s well being.

Government officials deserve blame as they responded with military force instead of negotiating with the worker’s complaints, worsening the situation instead of solving the initial problems.

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Short-term: The strike ignited 10 days of continuous warfare in Colorado

Long-term: Congress set up a House Committee to investigate the events of the massacre, and ultimately produced a report in 1915 which helped promote child labor laws and enforce the eight-hour workday

Blame: If anyone deserves the blame, it’s the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company and the militia for attacking the Ludlow Tent Company and killing the 21 people.

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Police charging murderous rioters in Haymarket Square on the night of May 4th.

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Police charging murderous rioters in Haymarket Square on the night of May 4th.

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Image from Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper showing policemen charging rioters in Haymarket Square

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Who

Large amount of Colorado coal miners (dangerous job)

What

A strike formed as conditions all were rejected. The mine workers went off into a tent colony and Colorado Fuel & Iron Company attacked them killing 21 (11 kids), with the goal of ending the strike. Leading to the National Guard getting involved to stop both sides.

When

1913-1914

Where

Ludlow, Colorado

Why

United Mine Workers of America wanted an 8 hour workday, better conditions, and the right to choose their own housing and doctors. A strike formed in hopes of reformation.

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Who:

Carnegie Steel Company Workers

Pinkerton Guards

State Militia

Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers

What Was it:

A major labor dispute and violent conflict between striking workers and Pinkertons, where workers refused to leave the factory.

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An event on May 4th, that began as a protest by workers to switch to an 8-hour workday, quickly turned violent. A bomb was thrown at the police during the rally, leading to gunfire and killing 11 people in total, 7 of which were police officers.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/summary/Haymarket-Affair

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This 1892 political cartoon criticizes Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick for being unwilling to raise wages, even after protective tariffs had been passed.

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Visual Evidence - Pullman Strike Newspaper & Image with armed forced at the strike.

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Visual Evidence - Pullman Strike Newspaper & Image with armed forced at the strike.