1917 Bloomington Streetcar Strike

Bloomington Streetcar Strike of 1917
Part of streetcar strikes in the United States
Illinois National Guard troops surrounding the Bloomington’s courthouse square
DateMay 28 – July 9, 1917
(107 years ago)
Location
Bloomington, Illinois
Resulted inDaily pay increased by 35¢[1]
Workday decreased from
      9:20[1] to 9:00 hours[2]
Union Recognition
Wrongful termination protections[1]
Parties
Lead figures
US Rep. & owner of B&N:
William B. McKinley
Number
~200 Streetcar Strikers

1,200 sympathy strikers, C&A Railroad repair shops[3]

B&N power plant
sympathy strikers
1,400 National Guard
Original pay before the strike was $2.25/day,
for a nine-and-a-half-hour workday[2][1]

The 1917 Bloomington Streetcar Strike was a labor dispute starting on May 28, 1917[4][2][5][α] when ATU Local 752 called a strike for union recognition, increased pay, and a shortened workday.

Facing a strike, Bloomington & Normal Street Railway & Light offered a 20¢ a day increase before the strike but refused to give union recognition,[2] so the union struck. A month into the strike Mother Jones rallied for the cause.

It ended in July when the mayor of Bloomington, E.E. Jones, mediated contract talks between the workers and company from July 6 to 9. During this, Illinois National Guard had been stationed outside the courthouse where mediation was occurring and B&N’s power plant, equipped with machine gun emplacements.[2]

An agreement was reached on July 9, 1917 in a victory for the union, winning recognition, reduced hours, and increased pay.[2][4][1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Unknown (1917-07-10), "English: TEXT AGREEMENT WHICH SETTLES STREET RAILWAY STRIKE", The Pantagraph, retrieved 2023-04-09
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Bloomington 1917 Strike". Mother Jones Museum. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  3. ^ Unknown (July 7, 1917), "English: The Bloomington Strike-", Chicago Tribune, retrieved 2023-04-10
  4. ^ a b c "A Community in Conflict: 1917". McLean County Museum of History.
  5. ^ a b Unknown (May 29, 1917), "Call Strike on Street Car Lines", The Pantagraph, p. 3, retrieved 2023-04-10
  6. ^ "The Founding of ATU Local 752". atulocal752.org. Retrieved 2023-04-08.


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