Three Major U.S. Labor Strikes: Individual and Social Impact

Introduction

Labor strikes are a common strategy for workers seeking to improve their conditions, and they have played a significant role in shaping the history of the United States — both on a personal level and within American society as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to review the relevant literature and determine the effects of three major strikes: the 1959 Steel Strike, the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886, and the 1934 General Textile Strike, in order to identify their respective impacts on individuals and American society. The paper concludes with a summary of significant findings concerning the lasting influence of these three strikes on modern American workers and society.

The 1959 Steel Strike

While many Americans today are unaware of this key labor action, the 1959 Steel Strike was one of the largest work stoppages in the history of the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The 1959 steel strike, which idled 519,000 workers for 116 days before an injunction terminated the strike, raised the year's total strike idleness to 69 million man-days, second only to 1946 in the postwar period" (Analysis of Work Stoppages 1959, 2023, p. 3). This was an astounding work stoppage with profound individual and societal implications for Americans both then and now.

The bloody sacrifices of World War II and Korea were still fresh in the national consciousness, and it is readily understandable that tens of millions of American workers were adamant about wanting a better life for themselves and their families. Labor strikes were one of the last resorts available to them. In this regard, Smemo et al. (2017) report that "the strike crystallized the limits of postwar collective bargaining and policy making to manage postwar economic growth. Those limitations allowed steelworkers to lay claim to the New Deal's promise of industrial citizenship and defend the moral economy of their home life" (p. 39). Moreover, despite a series of New Deal reforms, the steel industry was highly profitable during this period, and workers wanted their fair share in return for their hard work. As Smemo et al. (2017) point out, "the strike reveals the close relationship between workplace struggle and larger questions of economic policy, in particular those regarding inflation" (p. 39).

It is also important to note that African American steelworkers were more adversely affected by the strike compared with their white counterparts — an outcome exacerbated by their second-class citizenship status both in the workplace and in broader American society. As Wagner (2017) makes clear, "even though Black workers enjoyed the benefits of the union's promise to deliver wage and pension security, as well as better workplace conditions, the union failed to address the most pressing matter for Black workers — equity in the workplace" (p. 53).

The historical record shows that labor strikes are endeavors whose outcomes are uncertain at the outset, and this was certainly true of the 1959 Steel Strike, in which steelworkers gained only a modest wage increase after lengthy negotiation. The strike also had lasting effects on the national economy (The Labor Board Crew, 2022). Smemo et al. (2017) conclude that "the strike resulted in the first presidential Taft-Hartley injunction, an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling upholding it, and, for many workers' households, the depletion of their life savings" (p. 40). In addition, in order to meet soaring demand, the United States sought alternative sources of steel from foreign manufacturers — marking the first time that steel exports fell below steel imports. The country subsequently suffered a chronic trade deficit in the steel industry that has persisted to the present day (Smemo et al., 2017).

The Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886

The Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 resulted from a series of wage reductions that followed the national depression of 1884–1885. It began in September 1884 when yet another wage cut was announced by the Southwest Railroad. According to one contemporary historian, "On March 1, 1886, this ongoing conflict came to a head when a railroad worker was fired for attending a union meeting. This was in violation of the agreements that employees should not be fired 'without due notice and investigation.' The situation rapidly turned into a multi-state strike against two railways" (Taussig, 1887, p. 185). The strike's actual origins are traced to a work stoppage by shop mechanics in a Southwestern railroad yard over wage reduction issues, and by March 6, 1886, the strike had engulfed the entire railroad network (Taussig, 1887).

While the 1959 Steel Strike was momentous in its personal and societal impact and involved some violent confrontations, no one was killed — unlike the Railroad Strike of 1886, which claimed at least ten lives, including one law enforcement officer (Koppekin, 2023). This strike also involved more than 200,000 workers who were dismayed that their hard work was being rewarded with pay cuts while the company reaped massive profits (Taussig, 1887).

The Southwest Railroad owned fully 12% of all railroad tracks in America at the time, and it leveraged its considerable political clout to break the strike — though martial law had to be declared in Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri to quell the violence (Taussig, 1887). Unlike the 1959 Steel Strike, which at least achieved a modest wage increase, the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 failed to achieve any of its goals. Workers were forced to return to work on May 4, 1886, after a congressional hearing ordered them to do so (Taussig, 1887). The outcome dampened recruitment efforts by the Knights of Labor union and similarly situated collective bargaining organizations (Koppekin, 2023).

Conclusion

The research showed that three significant labor strikes in American history — the 1959 Steel Strike, the Railroad Strike of 1886, and the 1934 Textile Strike — had profound effects on both individuals and American society as a whole. These strikes shed light on the challenges faced by American workers as they fought for improved wages, working conditions, and workplace equality. They also reveal the limitations of postwar collective bargaining and policy-making, as well as the complex dynamics between labor and management that characterized labor relations of each era. Finally, these three strikes underscore the importance of labor rights, the influence of government policies, and the role of socioeconomic factors in shaping the outcomes of labor disputes.