1949 New York City taxicab strike
| 1949 New York City taxicab strike | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | April 1–8, 1949 (1 week) | ||
| Location | New York City, New York, United States | ||
| Goals |
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| Methods | |||
| Resulted in | Strike broken by taxicab operators with no gains for the strikers | ||
| Parties | |||
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The 1949 New York City taxicab strike was a
United Mine Workers who were seeking union recognition and pay increases for taxicab drivers in the city. The strike started on April 1, 1949 and was initially successful in shutting down approximately 80% of taxicab operations in the city. However, after several days, taxicab operators used strikebreakers and countered the effectiveness of the strike. The UMW officially ended the strike on April 8. Historian Graham Russell Gao Hodges
claims that the UMW's mismanagement of the strike was the primary reason for its failure and states that the strike "did not result in any positive results" for the strikers.
Background
United Mine Workers (UMW).[1] Following World War II, the UMW had increased its unionization efforts among NYC taxi drivers who, unlike workers in other industries in the city, did not have a long history of worker organization.[2] As part of their organization effort, the UMW pushed for taxicab fleet owners to recognize the union. Additionally, they wanted them to agree to labor contracts that included demands such as a standard five-day workweek of nine-hour days and daily wages of $9 for day drivers and $11 for night drivers.[3] Additional demands included an insurance and welfare plan offered by the fleet owners and some changes to work rules, among other employee benefits.[1] However, neither side could come to an agreement, with fleet owners arguing that the union did not represent the majority of their workers.[1] This claim is somewhat supported by historian Graham Russell Gao Hodges who, in a 2007 book, stated that less than half of the 32,000 licensed drivers were active.[3]
By March 1949, the UMW called for
New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer ordered 2,000 police officers on strike duty. At this time, several operators stated they would not be operating during the course of the strike, with one representative accusing the union of bringing in "goons" from Virginia.[note 1] A union representative rebutted that, while 100 organizers had been brought in to assist the union during the strike, they were not there for violence.[5] That same day, Mayor O'Dwyer[note 2] hosted negotiations between the two sides at New York City Hall in an attempt to prevent a strike, but no deal was reached.[4][3] In particular, the taxicab operators refused to immediately recognize the union without a State Labor Relations Board vote.[4] Following this, the mayor spoke about the impending strike on radio where he warned both sides that violence would not be tolerated.[4][3]
Course of the strike
The strike began at 4:30 a.m. on April 1. By 8 a.m., there were only 701 taxicabs operating in the city, with 76 of those in
Manhattan Supreme Court that limited picketing at their facilities.[8] On April 4, taxicab operations had returned to 40% of their pre-strike rate, and following this, the head of Local 35 resigned from his post. That same day, union representatives informed Mayor O'Dwyer of their willingness to seek an election with the State Labor Relations Board.[9] Late in the day on April 8, union officials officially ended the strike.[10][11]
Aftermath
Following the strike, union officials accused Mayor O'Dwyer of strikebreaking and abandoning union members after promising them his support, which he denied.vacation time. Ultimately, Hodges claims that the strike "did not result in any positive results" for the workers.[13]
See also
Notes
- ^ Historian Graham Russell Gao Hodges claims that newspapers reported that over 300 organizers had been brought in from West Virginia.[3]
- ^ Historian Graham Russell Gao Hodges gives the mayor's name as "Mayor Paul O'Dwyer".[3] However, Paul was actually the brother of William O'Dwyer, who was mayor of New York City during 1949.[6]
References
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hodges 2020, pp. 87–88.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hodges 2020, p. 88.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Samuels, David (October 2019). "The Mayor and the Mob". Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hodges 2020, pp. 89–90.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-4214-3780-4 – via Google Books.
Further reading
- Reinicke, F. G. (April 5, 1949). "For Order During Taxi Strike". ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- "Picket in Taxi Strike Knocked Down by Cab". ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.