Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-09-25
STRIKES IN TWENTY YEARS
Number of Men Thrown Out Of
Employment, 6,1o5,6o4.
Millions Lost by Both sides-Present
Coal Strike Promises to Be Costliest
OF Any Labor Confiict-Some In
teresting Statistics.

mer home in Massachusetts Commits
sioner of Labor Carroll D. Wright re-
marked to the Eagle correspondent that
the present strike among the miners of
the anthracite coal region promises to be
the longest and the costllest Of any strike
in the history of the United States" Col
onol Wright is the only unbiased official
who has made a thorough investigation of
the causes leading to the great strike, so
his opinion will be accepted with consid-
cradle weight. says the Washington CORE
spondent of the brooklyn Eagle.
The department of labor has recently
published report covering the strikes and
lockouts of the 20 years ending with 1901
and an examination of the tables contain
ed therein shows that Colonel Wright s
prediction in regard to the present trouble
in Pennsylvania is we'll founded. The his
tory Of the labor disturbances in the period
covered by the report indicates that it Is
nigh time that employers and employees
should unite on some form of arbitration
commission to avoid the frequent paralysis
Of various lines of industries resulting
from nuarrels between labor and capital.
With but occasional exceptions, the num-
her of strikes each year since 1851 has
grown steadily and the number of es-
ADJUSTMENTS involved and the number Of
employees thrown out of employment be-
cause of such troubles have increased in
the same proportion The tendency Of tho
past ~ years has been toward the shut
ting down of factories, mines and other
plants. owing to the failure of disputes
between employees and workmen to he sat-
isfactorily settled. During the 20 years
covered by the report there were 2793
strikes, with only Al in the first year ISL
The number Of strikes during 1882, 1883 and
ISM remained under so. In 1855. however.
they increased to 645. while in 1856 they
were moro than doubled. being l4S2 for
that year.
! The number was practically the same IN
the succeeding year. but in 1888 there was
a considerable decrease the total dropping
below 1,000 In 1889 the number of strikes
/ jumped above the thousand mark, and in
| 1900 ran up to S33. There was a decline
during the years OF 1901 $50? and 1899 but
since then the number has been getting
gradually larger. being 1.Ta7 in 1880 and
/ 1,7?9 in 1900. The greatest number of strikes
occurred in 1890 md 1871 and in 1899 and
400, the two periods of greatest prosperity
and industrial activity.
The record in regard to the number of
establishments involved in the strikes is
about the same in point Of luctuation.
There were strikes in 29-S establishments
in 1881. and the number grew with regular
ity up to 1900 when more than 1000 estab-
! lishments, suffered severe abor trouble
with their employees, In 1879 the establish
ments numbered 1871 and in 1900 they
were ',2S. The total for the 20 years wa
1860
The total number OF EMPLOYEES involved
CT thrown out Of employment in the who'll
number OF strikes during this period was
6,lo5C94, not including IS establishments
from which data could not be obtained
OF this number Geo, 900 were thrown out OF
snrl tn n No
ye"re 1896 and 1900 Ninety per cent of tl;e
employees affected by these strikes were
mon.
The growing strength Of labor organi2a-
tions in their influence on the nations in
/ dustries Is shown by the fact that Over
G3 per cent of the strikes in the past c
years were ordered by officers of labor
organizations. The walking delegates and
others who direct workmen to desert their
posts appreciate their increasing power as
is indicated by the steady growth of
strikes resulting from the orders of labor
organizations. From a percentage of Il
In 1881 the figures advanced year by year.
with but two exceptions to ~, in 1891
from which point slight decrease Is no.
ticod. ending with C5 per cent in 1900
Tables are given to show that the per-
centage of successful strikes has been
much greater where they were ordered by
labor ORGANIZATIONS than was the case
where the strikes were not ordered by
such bodies. or the 1903 900 establishments
in which strikes were ordered by labor
leaders, the strikers gained their demands
in $4,000 or over 90 per cent of the estah-
iishments.
They succeeded partly in 10 per cent OF
the balance. and failed entirely in IS pei
cent of the cases. On the other hand, the
sirikes not organized under the direction
: of labor leaders gained their ends in onl,
81 per cent of the establishments affected
, while 10 per cent of the strikes failed en-
tirelY.
WHAT STRIKES HAVE, COST IN TILL