Labor Violence Investigation -5 by Keith Layman

Summary

2026-02-02 17:59:26 UTC

The Great Railroad Strike began on July 14th, 1877 and ended on September 4th of 1877. It started in Martinsburg, West Virginia and spread to Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, as well as a few other states to a lesser extent. The Great Railroad Strike was the first major strike within the United States, spreading throughout the nation and included a large portion of people. It also was extremely violent, leading to people dead and jailed, changing how unions were viewed. This event was not led by a single person, rather groups of labor organizations, ultimately around 100,000 people within the United States went on strike to join the cause. The reason why everyone went on strike was sparked by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad cutting wages for the third time within the year. The resulting resentment created the collective push to strike.

2026-02-02 18:00:50 UTC

Summary

2026-02-02 18:00:51 UTC

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire happened in Manhattan, New York, on March 25, 1911. 146 garment workers (mostly female immigrants) died in a factory fire in New York City, with many unable to escape the building. Previously, workers advocated for changing the dangerous conditions and long hours. After the fire, the factory was investigated, and new labor and safety laws were made.

Eye-witness reports

2026-02-02 18:01:22 UTC

“Then they all began to drop. The crowd yelled "Don't jump!" but it was jump or be burned the proof of which is found in the fact that fifty burned bodies were taken from the ninth floor alone.” New York Times

eyewitness

ellasanders2 — 2026-02-02 18:01:36 UTC

Now, therefore, I, Rutherford B. Hayes, President of the United States, do hereby admonish all good citizens of the United States and all persons within the territory and jurisdiction of the United States against aiding, countenancing, abetting, or taking part in such unlawful proceedings;
Things look very bad here
striking men, led by one Andrew Hice, threw coupling pins and other missiles at the brakeman who was attempting to couple on the engine, one of which hit him, and, in the words of one witness, he had to run for his life. There was some twenty or twenty-five men in the crowd at this time; all men in the employ of the railroad company

Investigative findings

2026-02-02 18:01:53 UTC

It was found that the workers were trapped at the top of the building because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked (a common practice at the time to prevent people from skipping work/leaving early). There were also no sprinklers in the building. The event led to Congress passing a law requiring improved factory standards across the country.

The long-term causes of this event were mostly due to the unsafe sweatshop conditions, the lack of building codes, and more. Years before the fire, garment workers actually went out of their way to work on “improving” working conditions by building more high-rise buildings and locked exits that actually caused more deaths to occur. Another long-term cause was the owner neglecting safety, such as not installing water sprinkler systems. Some short-term causes were the flammable garments, which made the fire spread rapidly, along with the weak fire escapes that were too weak and collapsed.

Short term

2026-02-02 18:02:00 UTC

Short Term - The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 highlighted the great separation between classes and the treatment they received. Many of the employees returned to similar wages or were fired instantly. Businesses around America were still inspired by this strike, breweries and flour mills rising up against low wages.

Eyewitness

2026-02-02 18:02:03 UTC

Long Term

2026-02-02 18:02:13 UTC

Long Term - Depression; cut wages, lack of railroad services, layoffs. Harsh conditions and low pay grew and continued. Rise of corporate power; disruption of the connection between workers and company owners, which led to the vulnerability of industrial workers.

2026-02-02 18:02:32 UTC

Pullman Palace Car strike was a massive and violent nation-wide boycotted boycott that started in may 1894 near Chicago, Illinois. 4,000 workers protested 25%-50% wage cuts without reduced rent in their company town

Summary

caryshao — 2026-02-02 18:02:34 UTC

The Haymarket Square Riot took place during a labor protest in Chicago. The aim of the protest was to push for an eight-hour work day. The protest turned into a riot when one of the protestors threw a bomb at the police. Eight people died as a result of this riot. Despite a lack of evidence, eight men were convicted for being associated with the bomb. This was a major setback for the labor movement, as the media and big businesses used this to portray union members as radicals.

niranjanghanekar — 2026-02-02 18:02:45 UTC

Steelworkers fighting against Carnegie Steel over wages/union rights.

Organized violence, control of the steel plant.

Visual evidence (primary source material)

arshiyashaik — 2026-02-02 18:02:53 UTC

Eyewitness Reports

caryshao — 2026-02-02 18:04:03 UTC

August Spies Testimony:

"The firing began immediately, that is to say, I should say was simultaneous with the explosion. I knew that the police were shooting, but I didn't think they were shooting upon the crowd. I didn't know what had occurred at all."

"I thought they were shooting over the heads of the persons running away to seare them away, until the crowd had somewhat scattered, and I saw the flashes of glancing bullets on the sidewalk, and then I knew there was very little fun in it."

Summary

2026-02-02 18:05:10 UTC

A strike by a group of miners at a Rockefeller Mine in Colorado in April 1914. There were 10,000 miners protesting unsafe working conditions. The workers were shot with machine gun fire by the state militia, and some suffocated during the shooting, with 21 deaths in total, including 2 women and 11 children. National guardsmen were the ones who fired upon the workers, though tensions were growing between the miners and mine guards for months

2026-02-02 18:05:27 UTC

Summary

The Homestead Strike was a violent labour dispute between the Carnegie Steel Company and many of its workers, on July 6, 1892, in Homestead, Pennsylvania. Wages were set to be cut, but the Union resisted, which caused the workers to be locked out of the plant. The workers then stormed the plant, fought against the Pinkertons, and took control of the steel mill. Militiamen were sent to take back control, and all of the workers were replaced.

Eyewitness reports (Excerpts - keep them short)

Congressman from Kansas:” I regret that the workmen did not win…It teaches the workingmen this lesson: they can’t fight money and go hungry…Evils of this kind must be met at the ballot box.”

H.F Dempsey(Leading Knight of Pennsylvania):”These men could have won if they had only held out a little longer…I don't like the surrender a bit”

Investigative Findings

niranjanghanekar — 2026-02-02 18:05:40 UTC

One long-term impact of the Homestead Strike was that it stopped the organizing of unions among steelworkers for 26 years. One short-term impact was that daily wages shrank for highly skilled workers by one-fifth and daily work hours increased from 8 hours to 12 hours.

Henry Clay Frick, the plant operator, deserves the blame for the strike. As he was the one who called Pinkerton detectives for the workers. And also decided to lower the workers' wages and break their union.

Visual Evidence

2026-02-02 18:05:56 UTC

Short/Long Term

2026-02-02 18:07:06 UTC

National Guardsmen attacked the Ludlow Tent Colony, killing 21 people, including 11 children. 10 days of warfare broke out in Colorado between national guardsmen and workers until President Woodrow Wilson finally disarmed both sides. Mother Jones was an organizer of the Strike from the United Mine Workers.

Congress directed a House Committee to investigate the massacre, and the report became instrumental in putting an end to child labor and enforcing an 8-hour workday.

Visual evidence

2026-02-02 18:08:51 UTC

Investigation Findings

2026-02-02 18:09:15 UTC

Workers for the Pullman Palace Car Company already had low wages and high rents in the company town of Pullman, Illinois. During the economic depression of 1893, their wages were cut further, and working hours were increased. Jobs were also cut. George M. Pullman refused to meet with workers to hear their requests for higher wages, lower rents, and better working conditions, as he was the main person who deserved the blame for this. This initial boycott led to widespread strikes among the nation’s railroad workers. The increase of anger and hate ended in violence at a gathering of workers in Blue Island, Illinois. Since the protest had affected federal government business, U.S. President Grover Cleveland and his cabinet got involved in the strike. President Cleveland sent in federal troops to handle strikers, which led to violence. Many railway companies started to hire nonunion workers to restart business, but by the time the strike ended, it had cost the railroad companies millions of dollars in lost revenue and in looted and damaged property. The strike prompted Cleveland to propose a bill to make Labor Day a national holiday, then Cleveland signed the bill into law.

Blame

2026-02-02 18:09:26 UTC

If anyone is to blame, it is Rockefeller and the Governor of Colorado. Rockefeller's bad working conditions and long working hours ultimately led to the beginning of the strike. The Governor of Colorado sent the National Guardsmen to destroy the strike, which led to the death of innocent people.