What happened in the railroad strike of 1877?
On July 16, 1877, workers at the B&O station at Martinsburg, West Virginia, responded to the announcement of 10 percent wage cuts by uncoupling the locomotives in the station, confining them in the roundhouse, and declaring that no trains would leave Martinsburg unless the cut was rescinded.
What was the cause of the railroad strike of 1877?
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 started on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in response to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) cutting wages of workers for the third time in a year. Striking workers would not allow any of the trains, mainly freight trains, to roll until this third wage cut was revoked.
How did the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 end?
By the end of August 1877, the strike had ended primarily due to federal government intervention, the use of state militias, and the employment of strikebreakers by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. The Great Railroad Strike was typical of most strikes during this era.
What was one outcome of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
What was the outcome of the great railroad strike of 1877? Railroad workers walked off the job in other states and seriously disrupted commerce in the East and Midwest. The strikes were ended within a few weeks, but not before major incidents of vandalism and violence.
What happened when the transcontinental railroad workers went on strike?
This month marks the 150th anniversary of the historic eight-day strike, which began on June 25. It ended after Central Pacific director Charles Crocker choked off food, supplies, and transportation to thousands of Chinese laborers who lived in camps where they worked.
Who started the railroad strike of 1877?
The bloody and confusing history of an American holiday. The spark came when John W. Garrett, president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, signed off on a 10 percent wage cut. It knocked a brakeman’s daily wage to $1.35 and was the second such cut in a year.
What was the main impact of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 on unions?
For all of its fervor and support, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 ended by August 1, unsuccessful, its workers no better off at the end than when it began. Workers did not receive pay raises; legislation strengthened anti-union attitudes, and state militias were increased.
Was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 successful?
What union was involved in the railroad strike of 1877?
From this point tensions escalated quickly. In Martinsburg, West Virginia, situated roughly 90 miles from Baltimore, B&O workers (most belonging to the local Trainmen’s Union) went on strike during the evening of July 16th, declaring freight trains would not move until the railroad restored the 10% wage cut.