Trivia 2-13-19 Railroad Strike

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In July 1864 a notable first in US labor relations history occurred as the result of a railroad strike.
1. Which Railroad was involved?
2. What was the governments response?
3. Why?

credit: @Brenal
 
No. 3 can be understood in various ways.
As there is no further hint given I have answered the immediate reason (end the strike) and what stood behind the War Department's decision to interfere (to ensure the flow of coal).

1) Philadelphia & Reading railroad

2) It was seized and operated by the War Department. John Tucker, a former president of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, served as Assistant Secretary of War at the time of that strike and knew of a law dating from 1862 that enabled the President of the United States to seize and operate any railroad or telegraph line whenever in his judgement public safety may require it.

3a) To end a strike by operating employees for higher wages (50 cents per day)

3b) The Reading railroad was the principal carrier of anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania mines to Philadelphia. There was a heavy demand for coal as the railways changed their locomotives from wood-burning to coal-burning ones and the Navy converted from sail to steam. Therefore it was essential that the flow of coal went uninterrupted.

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https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/44188/43909
 
  1. The Railroad - The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
  2. The Government Response - The railroad was seized by the War Department and government workers - also was the 1st Presidential Seizure (according to my source) necessary because - - - - - - - - -
  3. - - - Railroads were turning from wood-burning locomotives to coal burning engines, the navy was converting from sail to steam, and the War Department needed the coal to keep moving for the federal war effort.
https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/44188/43909
 
1. Which Railroad was involved? - Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
2. What was the governments response? - instructed military to take over control of railroad operations
3. Why? - why anything happened is always a loaded question - especially in the middle of a war. It appears the primary reason for the governments concern in getting these trains moving again was the flow of coal, needed by the Navy, had slowed to a trickle by the walkout.

source
 
1. The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad

2. The Federal government intervened and the War Department seized the railroad

3. Because this railroad was the main carrier of anthracite coal which was essential to both the Navy, that used it fuel their ships, and other railroad companies that used it to power their locomotives to move troops and supply materials to the military.

Source- The Seizure of the Reading Railroad in 1864
 
1. Reading Railroad
2. The War Department seized and operated the Reading for a roughly one week period in July, 1864.
3. The Reading serviced the anthracite coal regions of eastern Pennsylvania. Coal supplies available for purchase by army and navy agents dropped to a trickle after the strike began on July 1.
https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/44188/43909

Interesting side notes.
1. While the strike was occurring Jubal Early moved into Maryland fought the Battle of Monocacy, approached Fort Stevens and retreated back into Virginia. The War Department used railroad crews temporarily out of work because of Early's operations to run the Reading.
2. Also while the strike was occurring members of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, recruited from the anthracite region of Schuykill County PA, were digging a mine shaft under Confederate lines at Petersburg. The result was the Battle of the Crater which occurred a couple weeks after the Reading strike ended.
 
I am now guessing that my first response was incorrect and that the answer you are looking for is the Reading & Philadelphia Railroad, which also suffered a strike in 1864.

The government response to the strike was to seize the railroad and operate it with scab labor. The ostensible justification for this was that the road delivered coal to the US Navy that was vital to the war effort.
 
1. The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
2. Seizure and operation by the War Department
3. The Reading Railroad was the principal carrier of anthracite coal from the mines NE PA to the arteries of transportation in Philadelphia...Coal was the essential commodity for the movement of troops and materiel by both military railroads and the naval vessels of Union forces.

Source
 
Pennsylvania & Reading Railroad

The railroad was the first Presidential seizure, thus having the federal government forcing the railroad into military service.

Why, the railroad carried anthracite coal which was becoming increasing important as locomotives and naval ships were being built/retrofitted for coal fired operations. If the why question is on the labor side, the workers struck for higher wages.

I actually wrote a paper my junior year of college on this subject in my labor relations class.

https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/44188/43909
 
In July 1864 a notable first in US labor relations history occurred as the result of a railroad strike.
1. Which Railroad was involved?
2. What was the governments response?
3. Why?

credit: @Brenal
The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad (known later as the Reading Railroad). On July 11, 1864, Government workers began replacing striking workers in order to maintain uninterrupted shipments of coal vital to the war effort.
 
1) Mine Hill & Schuykill Haven RR
2) Sent in scabs to break
3) The War time needs of the Nation trumped the right of the Ancient Order of United Workman (AOUW) union, established by John J. Upchurch, to strike.
Regards
David
https://books.google.com/books?id=NRIABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA140&lpg=PA140&dq="1864+railroad+strike"&source=bl&ots=2K1jVFdGbu&sig=ACfU3U1CdoxWDzjdhMJXOFTJLujzem7b8A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj-PKRkbngAhUMY6wKHXH-D4YQ6AEwAHoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q="1864 railroad strike"&f=false

Edit - The question asked specifically about a first in U. S. labor relations history that took place in July 1864 as the result of a strike. The source provided indicates that the Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven did have a strike in 1864, but I am unable to confirm that it took place in July or that it marked a first in U.S. labor relations history.

hoosier
 
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1.The Philadelphia and Reading Railway.

2. The Railway was seized by the government. This seizure,the result of a strike by operating employees, was the first his-torical instance of presidential seizure to keep operations going in a labor dispute.

3. This unprecedented form of federal intervention was prompted by the virtual shutdown of the Reading Railroad when it was the principal carrier of anthracite coal from the mines in northeastern Pennsylvania to the arteries of transportation in Philadelphia. At this period, most railroads were turning from wood-burning locomotives to coal-burning ones, and the Navy was rapidly converting from sail to steam.Coal was an essential commodity for the movement of troops and materiel by both the military railroads and the naval vessels of the Union forces.
https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/44188/43909
 
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