With the rapid growth and consolidation of large railroad systems after 1870, union organizations sprang up, covering the entire nation. By 1901, 17 major railway brotherhoods were in operation; they generally worked amicably with management, which recognized their usefulness. Key unions included the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers , Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Division , the Order of Railway Conductors, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Their main goal was building insurance and medical packages for their members, and negotiating bureaucratic work rules that favored their membership, such as seniority and grievance procedures. They were not members of the AFL, and fought off more radical rivals such as the Knights of Labor in the 1880s and the American Railroad Union in the 1890s. They consolidated their power in 1916, after threatening a national strike, by securing the Adamson Act, a federal law that provided 10 hours pay for an eight-hour day. At the end of World War I they promoted nationalization of the railroads, and conducted a national strike in 1919. Both programs failed, and the brotherhoods were largely stagnant in the 1920s. They generally were independent politically, but supported the third party campaign of Robert M. La Follette Sr. in 1924.

Question: How many years do the events span?
Answer: 54

Question: How many brotherhoods are mentioned by name?
Answer: 4

Question: What programs failed?
Answer: nationalization of the railroads

Question: What was the first listed key union?
Answer: Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers

Question: What happened first, the rapid growth of large railroad systems, or 17 major railway brotherhoods being in operation?
Answer: rapid growth and consolidation

Question: How many years did the events span from?
Answer: 54

Question: How many years are between the rapid growth of the railroad systems, a national strike being conducted?
Answer: 49

Question: How many more hours was someone mandated to be paid for under the Adamson Act if they worked 8 hours a day?
Answer: 2

Question: How many years after the unions consolidated their power did they strike?
Answer: 3

Question: Did the railway unions join before or after the consolidation of large railroad systems?
Answer: after

Question: When was the first strike?
Answer: 1916

Question: Which two years saw programs that failed promoted through strikes?
Answer: 1916

Question: Who consolidated power in 1916?
Answer: union organizations

Question: What did the union organizations do to get the Adamson Act passed?
Answer: threatening a national strike

Question: How many key railroad unions were there?
Answer: 5

Question: When did unions try to get the railroads nationalized?
Answer: end of World War I

Question: Who went on strike after WWI?
Answer: unions

Question: How many years after consolidating power did the unions go on strike?
Answer: 3