1912 Boston streetcar strike

1912 labor strike in Massachusetts, US October 2026 October 2026 1912 Boston streetcar strike Boston Car Strike LCCN2014690471.jpg Policemen guarding a streetcar during the strikeBoston Car Strike https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014690471/ Library of Congress Title: Boston Car Strike ... Date Created/Published: [between ca. 1910 and ca. 1915] ... Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ggbain-10488 September 15, 2026 Black and white photograph of the back of a streetcar. Policeman are riding on all sides of the car. Handwritten text on the photograph reads: "Boston Car Strike". 1912 6 7 1912 7 29 Boston, Massachusetts, US Conductors and carmen were fired for joining a union Union recognition, better wages, better working conditions Boston Elevated Railway Company agreed to stop discriminating against unionized employees During the 1912 Boston streetcar strike, conductors and carmen (or "motormen") of streetcars for Boston Elevated Railway Company"company" In 1947, Boston Elevated Railway Company was "subsumed" by Metropolitan Transit Authority and became a government entity.Boston Elevated Railway Company: Library records https://archivesspace.library.northeastern.edu/repositories/2/resources/934 Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections September 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, went on a 53-day labor strike after the company retaliated against members of the labor union. The strikers demanded that the company recognize their union and provide better wages and working conditions. Ultimately, the strike ended after an arbitration settlement in favor of the union, and the company agreed to stop discriminating against union members. Events Boston Elevated Railway Company managed both elevated railways and surface routes, absorbing streetcar services that were previously operated by the West End Street Railway in the late 19th century. In 1912, streetcar conductors and carmen from Boston Elevated Railway Company joined the local Boston Carmen's Union and tried to meet and negotiate with company leadership. Rather than recognize the union, the company fired approximately 300 unionized employees."fired" In response, the union met and voted to strike on June 7, with 1,389 members in favor and only eight opposed. The strikers wanted better wages and working conditions, and they wanted the company to officially recognize their labor union.Boston May Be Tied Up; General Strike of All Unions Following Elevated Trouble Threatened July 8, 1912 The New York Times t https://www.nytimes.com/1912/07/08/archives/boston-may-be-tied-up-general-strike-of-all-unions-following.html During the course of the strike action, strikers attacked streetcars and disrupted car service in Boston.More Boston Riots; Car Strike Spreads; Mobs Beat Policeman, and Hold up, Wreck and Stone Cars June 8, 1912 The New York Times 1 https://www.nytimes.com/1912/06/08/archives/more-boston-riots-car-strike-spreads-mobs-beat-policeman-and-hold.html Policemen guarded streetcar barns (which housed cars when they were out of service)Strike Mobs Attack Boston Street Cars; Night Service Called Off After Bomb Shatters Trolley's Windows in Back Bay June 10, 1912 The New York Times 3 https://www.nytimes.com/1912/06/10/archives/strike-mobs-attack-boston-street-cars-night-service-called-off.html and rode along on streetcars, as the cars in some districts were pelted with "volleys of stones". A few days into the strike, a bomb damaged a streetcar on its route, resulting in minor injuries among passengers. As the strike continued into July, a man was caught trying to plant dynamite along a streetcar track.Renew Boston Strike Riots; Sympathizers with Strikes Beat Six Persons and Smash Car Windows July 3, 1912 The New York Times 14 https://www.nytimes.com/1912/07/03/archives/renew-boston-strike-riots-sympathizers-with-strikers-beat-six.html Harvard and Yale students enlisted as strikebreakers.Norwood Stephen Stephen Norwood Strikebreaking and Intimidation: Mercenaries and Masculinity in Twentieth-Century America University of North Carolina Press 2003 The Student as Strikebreaker https://www.google.com/books/edition/Strikebreaking_and_Intimidation/T6bqCQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA28&printsec=frontcover 28 On June 16, a demonstration was held in support of the strikers on the Boston Common, with an estimated 50,000 to 75,000 men and women in attendance.Side with Boston Strikers; Thousands in Meeting Resolve Not to Patronize Cars June 17, 1912 The New York Times 20 https://www.nytimes.com/1912/06/17/archives/side-with-boston-strikers-thousands-in-meeting-resolve-not-to.html The Boston Central Labor Union voted to boycott the car lines for the duration of the strike. Separately, students from Wellesley College also pledged to boycott the streetcars and donated $1,000 to the strike fund. After 53 days, the strike ended on July 29. The Massachusetts State Board of Conciliation and Arbitration found that the strikers were justified in believing that many had been fired for joining the labor union.Award for Strikers; Massachusetts State Board Finds for Boston Elevated Employees July 23, 1912 The New York Times 4 https://www.nytimes.com/1912/07/23/archives/award-for-strikers-massachusetts-state-board-finds-for-boston.html In the arbitration settlement, Boston Elevated Railway Company agreed to stop discriminating against union members. Notes "fired" The union's website notes 282 employees were fired,History Boston Carmen's Union Local 589 https://carmensunion589.org/about-us/3774-2/ September 14, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20251114151142/https://carmensunion589.org/about-us/3774-2/ November 14, 2025 whereas the The New York Times wrote that it was 300.Boston Strikers Win; Conductors and Motormen Victorious in a 53-day Struggle July 30, 1912 The New York Times 6 https://www.nytimes.com/1912/07/30/archives/boston-strikers-win-conductors-and-motormen-victorious-in-a-53day.html References Category:1910s strikes in the United States Category:1912 labor disputes and strikes Category:Labor disputes in Massachusetts Boston