labor and management tend to get along
like cats and dogs the difference is
that pets don’t usually stage work
stoppages enough is enough and it’s
about time that people start fighting
back on this and you have seen what has
taken place welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top ten labor strikes in American
history for this list we’re looking at
work stoppages that have occurred over
US history and have ranked them based on
their numerical or historical
significance yes you’re coming back
people are getting fed up of corporate
America taking away benefits reducing
jobs to part-time jobs there’s time to
put a stop to it
number 10 the great skill strike of 1919
the stream swells in volume a firey
River if you ever saw one but you as an
uninitiated onlooker could not be
expected to know that these men in
charge are very much in command during
World War one the dismal working
conditions and low pay in the steel
industry improved soon after the war
however the situation reverted to
pre-war levels prompting a strike of
three hundred and fifty thousand workers
that lasted three and a half months
corporate leaders turned the tide of
public opinion against the workers
feeding on immigration and communists
phobias of the time the strike failed
and union power in the steel industry
was eradicated for more than a decade
here is an operation which constitutes
in itself a critical test of Steel’s
number nine the UPS worker strike of
nineteen ninety-seven everybody has to
stand together to be together as one and
that’s how you take on corporate America
labor was in a definite slump by 1997 so
the success of the United Parcel workers
strike was something of a surprise I
want a good contract we’ve been fighting
for a long time and we don’t want to
settle for something that’s not
quality the 185,000 Teamsters workers
struck for 16 days in August with one of
their primary concerns being the
company’s policy of hiring part-time
workers so that they would not have to
pay benefits because it is what this
country needs decent jobs a chance for
the dream public support was strong for
the workers resulting in ups agreeing to
the demands of the union and giving
labour its first significant victory in
many years this is a great victory a
victory for everyone number 8 the US
postal strike of 1970 in New York City
postal workers demanded a boat to strike
and all hell broke loose neither snow
nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
stays these couriers from their Swift
completion of their appointed rounds
unless of course they want better pay
President Nixon ordered the army to go
into New York City and to get the mail
moving and said if necessary he would do
the same in other cities federal
employees are denied the right to strike
which is what makes the 1970 strike by
the US postal workers important the
biggest post-office of all New York City
is entirely closed down this first
strike by public employees was illegal
but 210,000 postal workers did it anyway
for two weeks in March the Postal
Service ground to a halt beginning in
New York City and spreading nationwide
President Nixon’s attempt to use the
Army and the National Guard as letter
carriers was a dismal failure and the
postal workers were granted increased
wages and better conditions here’s a man
who knows that we’re going to pave a
steel you know he can give yourself 100
percent raise Congress can get
still a 41% rate but we can have nothing
number seven the air traffic controller
strike of 1981 all of those opposed
returning to work and staying out for as
long as it takes to get a fair and
equitable contract signify by saying yes
a 1981 strike by these federal employees
had a very different result in August
13,000 members of the professional air
traffic controllers organization went on
strike for shorter hours and higher
wages President Reagan issued an
ultimatum to Petco get back to work or
get fired they are in violation of the
law and if they do not report for work
within 48 hours they have forfeited
their jobs and will be terminated the
strikers refused so Reagan fired 11,000
345 workers in one fell swoop an
instance in sensitivity shown by this
administration will not get our people
back to work we are as firm in our
convictions as we were when this started
playing hardball the government jailed
many of the union leaders and waged
stiflingly high fines against the Union
for the illegal strike the strike failed
and was a crushing blow to the labor
movement we feel our cause is justified
we’ve all now been terminated and even
if we want to end it it couldn’t be
ended that is to say we have no
intentions of ending it but if we wanted
to it
we couldn’t we’re no longer employees
number six the Homestead Strike of 1892
although the steel industry in general
was fiercely opposed to labor unions
magnate Andrew Carnegie accepted their
value in the workplace however when
workers at his homestead Steel Works in
Pennsylvania demanded increased wages
Carnegie sought to break the Union the
strike started on June 30th but became a
part of history on July 6th that’s when
300 Pinkerton agents hired by the
industry arrived an intense battle
ensued with both sides armed by the time
the smoke cleared
nine strikers and three agents lay dead
and the Union suffered a major defeat
number five the il gwu strike of 1909
the skillful operators who sew up the
whole dress work under high tension
known as the uprising of 20,000 the
International ladies garment workers
union strike lasted 14 weeks starting in
1909 working conditions in sweatshops
were truly abominable and frequently
dangerous but when 20,000 workers in New
York City most of whom were women and
immigrants went on strike no one
expected it to succeed but with a motto
of we’d rather starve quick than starve
slow workers were finally able to win
many of their demands including a 52
hour work week Saturday and Sunday off
and fair wages where the results number
for the great railroad strike of 1922 an
astounding 400,000 railroad shop workers
went on strike on July 1st 1922 prompted
by management’s plan to decrease pay by
seven cents an hour that may not sound
like much today but in 1922 it
represented a 12 percent cut in wages
management responded to the strike by
replacing most of the workers and
violence often broke out 11 people were
killed over the months the strike lasted
a federal judge eventually issued an
injunction outlying strike activities
effectively ending the work stoppage on
September first number three the textile
worker strike of 1934 now just surprised
that anybody wanted to unionized and
here we thought you know things are
going on so great Labor Day of 1934
marked the start of a major strike by
400,000 textile workers lasting three
weeks the strike was largely a response
to the industry’s increasing demands
that fewer workers be used to produce
more Goods you’ve got somebody behind
you pushing pushing pushing wanting more
more and more to give you less and Roy
asked coming in the midst of the Great
Depression both sides in the dispute
felt tremendous
pressure mill owners responded with
strikebreakers often armed and the
strike was ultimately a failure
many strikers were killed and thousands
lost their jobs my grandmother told my
mother that she would rather see her
take my brother and me to the graveyard
in the bring us to be brought up on
cotton mill village number two the
bituminous coal strike of 1946 68
million tons of coal production was the
loss during the long layoff American
railroads factories and homes are
desperately in need of plenty of these
black diamonds one of Labour’s longest
strikes lasted from April 1st to
December 7 1946 seeking higher wages and
better conditions some 400,000
bituminous coal workers heeded the call
for a strike and they were hardly alone
by the end of 1946 well over 4 million
Americans were involved in strike
activity the coal strike through special
attention from President Truman who
feared that it might stifle the post-war
recovery period and although he fined
the Union heavily the agreement he
offered did address many of the workers
concerns when the long coal trains move
again we can all look forward to
improved production in all industry
before we reveal our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
here’s Mike Needham heading in save Rick
the rebound
Mike Needham with his first ever NHL
goal we’re told they’re actually on
strike as we speak they will complete
any run drop people off their
destination then take the buses back to
the park thank you very much I mean they
want four extra cents the DVD and they
want 2.5 percent of whatever they make
for profits for internet number one the
steel strike of 1959 the longest and
costly a strike in the history of the
steel industry hit the United States
economy in 1959 a half million employees
walked out on the steel industry for 116
days in 1959 as the Union asked for a
wage increase and assurances against
reductions in hours number of employees
and more in July the steel industry
across the nation banked its furnaces
turned off the vital flow of steel
500,000 steel workers saw their last
paychecks for at least five months
President Eisenhower invoked the
taft-hartley Act to compel workers back
to work and when the Union sued to have
the act declared unconstitutional it was
defeated in a Supreme Court decision I’m
not going to try to assess any blame I’m
getting sick and tired of the apparent
impasse in the settlement of this matter
the United Steel Workers of America
Union ultimately prevailed in obtaining
a favorable contract but the long-term
effect of the four-month strike open the
door to imported steel leading to a
substantial decline in the size of the
u.s. steel industry any of the nation’s
auto plants closed down within a few
months their supply of steel used up do
you agree with our choices what other
famous American strikes deserve to be on
this list for more in thrall intense
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com around
because there’s enough money to share
and we’re going to make you share it
[Music]
like cats and dogs the difference is
that pets don’t usually stage work
stoppages enough is enough and it’s
about time that people start fighting
back on this and you have seen what has
taken place welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top ten labor strikes in American
history for this list we’re looking at
work stoppages that have occurred over
US history and have ranked them based on
their numerical or historical
significance yes you’re coming back
people are getting fed up of corporate
America taking away benefits reducing
jobs to part-time jobs there’s time to
put a stop to it
number 10 the great skill strike of 1919
the stream swells in volume a firey
River if you ever saw one but you as an
uninitiated onlooker could not be
expected to know that these men in
charge are very much in command during
World War one the dismal working
conditions and low pay in the steel
industry improved soon after the war
however the situation reverted to
pre-war levels prompting a strike of
three hundred and fifty thousand workers
that lasted three and a half months
corporate leaders turned the tide of
public opinion against the workers
feeding on immigration and communists
phobias of the time the strike failed
and union power in the steel industry
was eradicated for more than a decade
here is an operation which constitutes
in itself a critical test of Steel’s
number nine the UPS worker strike of
nineteen ninety-seven everybody has to
stand together to be together as one and
that’s how you take on corporate America
labor was in a definite slump by 1997 so
the success of the United Parcel workers
strike was something of a surprise I
want a good contract we’ve been fighting
for a long time and we don’t want to
settle for something that’s not
quality the 185,000 Teamsters workers
struck for 16 days in August with one of
their primary concerns being the
company’s policy of hiring part-time
workers so that they would not have to
pay benefits because it is what this
country needs decent jobs a chance for
the dream public support was strong for
the workers resulting in ups agreeing to
the demands of the union and giving
labour its first significant victory in
many years this is a great victory a
victory for everyone number 8 the US
postal strike of 1970 in New York City
postal workers demanded a boat to strike
and all hell broke loose neither snow
nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
stays these couriers from their Swift
completion of their appointed rounds
unless of course they want better pay
President Nixon ordered the army to go
into New York City and to get the mail
moving and said if necessary he would do
the same in other cities federal
employees are denied the right to strike
which is what makes the 1970 strike by
the US postal workers important the
biggest post-office of all New York City
is entirely closed down this first
strike by public employees was illegal
but 210,000 postal workers did it anyway
for two weeks in March the Postal
Service ground to a halt beginning in
New York City and spreading nationwide
President Nixon’s attempt to use the
Army and the National Guard as letter
carriers was a dismal failure and the
postal workers were granted increased
wages and better conditions here’s a man
who knows that we’re going to pave a
steel you know he can give yourself 100
percent raise Congress can get
still a 41% rate but we can have nothing
number seven the air traffic controller
strike of 1981 all of those opposed
returning to work and staying out for as
long as it takes to get a fair and
equitable contract signify by saying yes
a 1981 strike by these federal employees
had a very different result in August
13,000 members of the professional air
traffic controllers organization went on
strike for shorter hours and higher
wages President Reagan issued an
ultimatum to Petco get back to work or
get fired they are in violation of the
law and if they do not report for work
within 48 hours they have forfeited
their jobs and will be terminated the
strikers refused so Reagan fired 11,000
345 workers in one fell swoop an
instance in sensitivity shown by this
administration will not get our people
back to work we are as firm in our
convictions as we were when this started
playing hardball the government jailed
many of the union leaders and waged
stiflingly high fines against the Union
for the illegal strike the strike failed
and was a crushing blow to the labor
movement we feel our cause is justified
we’ve all now been terminated and even
if we want to end it it couldn’t be
ended that is to say we have no
intentions of ending it but if we wanted
to it
we couldn’t we’re no longer employees
number six the Homestead Strike of 1892
although the steel industry in general
was fiercely opposed to labor unions
magnate Andrew Carnegie accepted their
value in the workplace however when
workers at his homestead Steel Works in
Pennsylvania demanded increased wages
Carnegie sought to break the Union the
strike started on June 30th but became a
part of history on July 6th that’s when
300 Pinkerton agents hired by the
industry arrived an intense battle
ensued with both sides armed by the time
the smoke cleared
nine strikers and three agents lay dead
and the Union suffered a major defeat
number five the il gwu strike of 1909
the skillful operators who sew up the
whole dress work under high tension
known as the uprising of 20,000 the
International ladies garment workers
union strike lasted 14 weeks starting in
1909 working conditions in sweatshops
were truly abominable and frequently
dangerous but when 20,000 workers in New
York City most of whom were women and
immigrants went on strike no one
expected it to succeed but with a motto
of we’d rather starve quick than starve
slow workers were finally able to win
many of their demands including a 52
hour work week Saturday and Sunday off
and fair wages where the results number
for the great railroad strike of 1922 an
astounding 400,000 railroad shop workers
went on strike on July 1st 1922 prompted
by management’s plan to decrease pay by
seven cents an hour that may not sound
like much today but in 1922 it
represented a 12 percent cut in wages
management responded to the strike by
replacing most of the workers and
violence often broke out 11 people were
killed over the months the strike lasted
a federal judge eventually issued an
injunction outlying strike activities
effectively ending the work stoppage on
September first number three the textile
worker strike of 1934 now just surprised
that anybody wanted to unionized and
here we thought you know things are
going on so great Labor Day of 1934
marked the start of a major strike by
400,000 textile workers lasting three
weeks the strike was largely a response
to the industry’s increasing demands
that fewer workers be used to produce
more Goods you’ve got somebody behind
you pushing pushing pushing wanting more
more and more to give you less and Roy
asked coming in the midst of the Great
Depression both sides in the dispute
felt tremendous
pressure mill owners responded with
strikebreakers often armed and the
strike was ultimately a failure
many strikers were killed and thousands
lost their jobs my grandmother told my
mother that she would rather see her
take my brother and me to the graveyard
in the bring us to be brought up on
cotton mill village number two the
bituminous coal strike of 1946 68
million tons of coal production was the
loss during the long layoff American
railroads factories and homes are
desperately in need of plenty of these
black diamonds one of Labour’s longest
strikes lasted from April 1st to
December 7 1946 seeking higher wages and
better conditions some 400,000
bituminous coal workers heeded the call
for a strike and they were hardly alone
by the end of 1946 well over 4 million
Americans were involved in strike
activity the coal strike through special
attention from President Truman who
feared that it might stifle the post-war
recovery period and although he fined
the Union heavily the agreement he
offered did address many of the workers
concerns when the long coal trains move
again we can all look forward to
improved production in all industry
before we reveal our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
here’s Mike Needham heading in save Rick
the rebound
Mike Needham with his first ever NHL
goal we’re told they’re actually on
strike as we speak they will complete
any run drop people off their
destination then take the buses back to
the park thank you very much I mean they
want four extra cents the DVD and they
want 2.5 percent of whatever they make
for profits for internet number one the
steel strike of 1959 the longest and
costly a strike in the history of the
steel industry hit the United States
economy in 1959 a half million employees
walked out on the steel industry for 116
days in 1959 as the Union asked for a
wage increase and assurances against
reductions in hours number of employees
and more in July the steel industry
across the nation banked its furnaces
turned off the vital flow of steel
500,000 steel workers saw their last
paychecks for at least five months
President Eisenhower invoked the
taft-hartley Act to compel workers back
to work and when the Union sued to have
the act declared unconstitutional it was
defeated in a Supreme Court decision I’m
not going to try to assess any blame I’m
getting sick and tired of the apparent
impasse in the settlement of this matter
the United Steel Workers of America
Union ultimately prevailed in obtaining
a favorable contract but the long-term
effect of the four-month strike open the
door to imported steel leading to a
substantial decline in the size of the
u.s. steel industry any of the nation’s
auto plants closed down within a few
months their supply of steel used up do
you agree with our choices what other
famous American strikes deserve to be on
this list for more in thrall intense
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com around
because there’s enough money to share
and we’re going to make you share it
[Music]
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