![]() In 1884, when the Union Pacific Railroad cut workers’ wages by 10 percent, the Knights quickly organized a strike. At the apex of their power, the Knights achieved some major successes. Joseph Buchanan Leads Strikes Against Railroad CompaniesĪt the height of the Knights’ influence in the mid-1880s, the organization claimed a membership of 700,000. ![]() At the time it was seen as a radical stance. Under Powderly’s leadership, in 1881 the Knights declared that women would be accepted as members and have equal rights in the organization as men did. Powderly, a machinist of Catholic Irish ancestry from Carbondale, Pennsylvania, was elected to take his place. In 1879, Stephens stepped down, and Terrence V. The only occupations they excluded were bankers, lawyers, gamblers and saloon keepers. Over the decade that followed, though, the Knights expanded across the nation, attracting a range of workers in different industries, from blacksmiths and boilermakers to bricklayers and carpet weavers. Knights of Labor Expands Under Terrence Powderly ![]() Stephens explained to them his vision for an organization, “The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor,” whose members would be sworn to secrecy, and follow rituals comparable to Masonry. He called a meeting at his home, and six garment cutters showed up. When the local garment cutters union disbanded after failing to get better wages from local clothing companies, Stephens saw his chance. Instead, all wage-earners had to be brought together into a single organization, which could then fight for the interests of them all. It wasn’t just enough for a group of workers at one company to strike for higher wages, he believed. Stephens’ experiences as a worker-led him to believe that massive changes in society were necessary. When Stephens’ family lost everything during the economic panic and depression of the late 1830s, he became an indentured worker, obligated to work without pay in exchange for being trained as an apprentice mechanic. Stephens, a descendant of early Quaker settlers in New Jersey, founded the Knights of Labor on Thanksgiving Day 1869 in Philadelphia. In the end, they accomplished little.Uriah S. The strike collapsed in weeks due to a lack of organization. Strikers rioted and burned train stations about 100 were killed by militias and the National Guard. The strike spread to Pittsburgh and then much of the Northeast, eventually involving about 100,000 workers. Workers in Martinsburg, W.Va., responded by detaching train engines and barring them from moving. The Great Upheaval began after four years of economic depression, in July 1877, when railroad bosses announced a 10 percent pay cut, the second in eight months. Library of Congress The Great Upheaval, 1877 Here’s a look at how other rail strikes have changed America. Rail strikes and the threat of them have played a key role in American history, helping to bring about the eight-hour workday, federal recognition of Labor Day, and the advancement of Black civil rights. 5, after members of a major railroad union narrowly rejected a White House-brokered deal, union officials announced Monday. ![]() Economy From an 8-hour workday to Labor Day: Rail strikes that changed AmericaĪ national rail strike that could paralyze much of the economy ahead of the holidays could begin as early as Dec.
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