1955–1956 Westinghouse strike

1955–1956 nationwide labor strike September 2026 September 2026 During the 1955–1956 Westinghouse strike, around 55,000 members of the United Electrical Workers (UE) and the International Union of Electrical Workers (IUEW) from 40 different Westinghouse plants in multiple states went on strike over wages and the terms of their union contract.Westinghouse Strike Issues January 4, 1954 28 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/04/archives/westinghouse-strike-issues.html At first, around 46,000 workers from 30 different plants walked off the job on October 17, 1955; then on October 25,Filippelli McColloch 1995 161 another 9,000 workers from 10 plants joined them.LABOR: Strike at Westinghouse October 30, 1955 Time https://time.com/archive/6610228/labor-strike-at-westinghouse/ Immediately after the first wave, Westinghouse's production was halved. On March 20, 1956, after a 156 day nationwide strike, the unions reached a settlement with Westinghouse,Loftus Joseph A. Strike is Settled at Westinghouse After 156 Days The New York Times March 21, 1956 1 https://www.nytimes.com/1956/03/21/archives/strike-is-settled-at-westinghouse-after-156-days-union-board.html and most of the strikers went back to work.Filippelli McColloch 1995 162 The New York Times noted that the strike was "the longest major walkout in more than twenty years", with Westinghouse losing up to $300 million (equivalent to $US 0.3 1956 2 billion in US) in sales. However, one local UE union in Lester, Pennsylvania continued to strike for an additional five months; the members of the Lester union, UE Local 107, demanded that the company abandon its plan to cut the workers' pay by 20 percent.Strike Pact is Set at Westinghouse; U.E. Members Vote Today on Ending 296-Day Dispute at Lester, Pa., Plant 11 August 7, 1956 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1956/08/07/archives/strike-pact-is-set-at-westinghouse-ue-members-vote-today-on-ending.html During the strike, the union mobilized a local mutual aid network and raised thousands of dollars of food from the community.Filippelli McColloch 1995 162 They were also endorsed by five congressmen from Philadelphia.Filippelli McColloch 1995 162 In August 1956, UE Local 107 reached a settlement with Westinghouse. The extended Lester strike cost Westinghouse an estimated $75 million (equivalent to $US 75 1956 0 million in US). References Bibliography Filippelli Ronald L. McColloch Mark D. Cold War in the Working Class: The Rise and Decline of the United Electrical Workers New York State University of New York Press 1995 Category:1950s labor disputes and strikes Category:1955 labor disputes and strikes Category:1956 labor disputes and strikes Category:Labor disputes in Ohio