United Railroads Streetcar Strike 1917 - Revision history

Ccarlsson: added photo

2020-09-05T03:00:53Z

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	''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo] U05043''		''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo] U05043''

			[[Image:24th-east-betw-Alabama-and-Florida-Nov-25-1918 U06333-.jpg]]

			'''24th Street looking east between Alabama and Florida, November 25, 1918.'''

			''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo] U06333''

	On the 15th a scab-driven inbound Sutter line car rammed into an outbound Municipal streetcar at Market and Sansome. Strike sympathizers tried to pull the scabs off the streetcar and in the ensuing melee, two URR employees were identified as "gunmen" to the police. Upon being arrested they were discovered to be holding three revolvers and a couple of blackjacks between them.		On the 15th a scab-driven inbound Sutter line car rammed into an outbound Municipal streetcar at Market and Sansome. Strike sympathizers tried to pull the scabs off the streetcar and in the ensuing melee, two URR employees were identified as "gunmen" to the police. Upon being arrested they were discovered to be holding three revolvers and a couple of blackjacks between them.

Lisaruth: fixed broken link due to page move

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	[[Image:Tours-labor.gif\|link=Shipyards in Decay~~--1996~~]] [[Shipyards in Decay~~--1996~~\| Continue Labor History Tour]]		[[Image:Tours-labor.gif\|link=Shipyards in Decay]] [[Shipyards in Decay\| Continue Labor History Tour]]

	[[Bloody Tuesday\|Prev. Document]] [[Carpenters' Strike April 1926 \|Next Document]]		[[Bloody Tuesday\|Prev. Document]] [[Carpenters' Strike April 1926 \|Next Document]]

Lisaruth at 21:57, 29 October 2018

2018-10-29T21:57:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:57, 29 October 2018
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	On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[Rising Tensions Engulf 1916 San Francisco: Class War Precedes World War I \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:		On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[Rising Tensions Engulf 1916 San Francisco: Class War Precedes World War I \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:

	<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. "'' <br>		<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. '' <br>

	Company officials and police arrived a few minutes later. Thirty or forty of the strikers left for the Labor Temple. They had been told to congregate there. On the way they tried to get the crews of several Sixteenth street and Mission street cars to desert. They were successful with the crew of one Sixteenth street car. Demonstrations took place in the street at this point. Poles were torn from the trolleys. A brick was hurled through a car window... It was an hour before the blockade was cleared... due in great measure to the fact that the striking motormen threw their controller bars away [and] the new crews had to hunt for the bars in the streets."</blockquote>		"Company officials and police arrived a few minutes later. Thirty or forty of the strikers left for the Labor Temple. They had been told to congregate there. On the way they tried to get the crews of several Sixteenth street and Mission street cars to desert. They were successful with the crew of one Sixteenth street car. Demonstrations took place in the street at this point. Poles were torn from the trolleys. A brick was hurled through a car window... It was an hour before the blockade was cleared... due in great measure to the fact that the striking motormen threw their controller bars away [and] the new crews had to hunt for the bars in the streets."</blockquote>

	The strike quickly spread, as URR workers quickly joined the strike and within just a few days over 1,000 were on strike demanding union recognition, $3.50 a day, and an 8 hour workday. Daily parades of strikers surged through the streets, all the way to the ferries and back up Market and Mission streets, exhorting those still working to walk off and join the strike. Mass meetings were held at the Redstone Building ([[Redstone Murals list\|at 16th and Capp]]), where delegations were selected to visit major industrial sites around town, such as the Union Iron Works, to rally workers to abandon the URR streetcars, while others headed for outlying carbarns to enlist more workers to strike.		The strike quickly spread, as URR workers quickly joined the strike and within just a few days over 1,000 were on strike demanding union recognition, $3.50 a day, and an 8 hour workday. Daily parades of strikers surged through the streets, all the way to the ferries and back up Market and Mission streets, exhorting those still working to walk off and join the strike. Mass meetings were held at the Redstone Building ([[Redstone Murals list\|at 16th and Capp]]), where delegations were selected to visit major industrial sites around town, such as the Union Iron Works, to rally workers to abandon the URR streetcars, while others headed for outlying carbarns to enlist more workers to strike.

Lisaruth at 21:55, 29 October 2018

2018-10-29T21:55:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:55, 29 October 2018
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	On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[Rising Tensions Engulf 1916 San Francisco: Class War Precedes World War I \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:		On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[Rising Tensions Engulf 1916 San Francisco: Class War Precedes World War I \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:

	<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. ''<~~/blockquote~~>		<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. "'' <br>

	Company officials and police arrived a few minutes later. Thirty or forty of the strikers left for the Labor Temple. They had been told to congregate there. On the way they tried to get the crews of several Sixteenth street and Mission street cars to desert. They were successful with the crew of one Sixteenth street car. Demonstrations took place in the street at this point. Poles were torn from the trolleys. A brick was hurled through a car window... It was an hour before the blockade was cleared... due in great measure to the fact that the striking motormen threw their controller bars away [and] the new crews had to hunt for the bars in the streets."		Company officials and police arrived a few minutes later. Thirty or forty of the strikers left for the Labor Temple. They had been told to congregate there. On the way they tried to get the crews of several Sixteenth street and Mission street cars to desert. They were successful with the crew of one Sixteenth street car. Demonstrations took place in the street at this point. Poles were torn from the trolleys. A brick was hurled through a car window... It was an hour before the blockade was cleared... due in great measure to the fact that the striking motormen threw their controller bars away [and] the new crews had to hunt for the bars in the streets."</blockquote>

	The strike quickly spread, as URR workers quickly joined the strike and within just a few days over 1,000 were on strike demanding union recognition, $3.50 a day, and an 8 hour workday. Daily parades of strikers surged through the streets, all the way to the ferries and back up Market and Mission streets, exhorting those still working to walk off and join the strike. Mass meetings were held at the Redstone Building ([[Redstone Murals list\|at 16th and Capp]]), where delegations were selected to visit major industrial sites around town, such as the Union Iron Works, to rally workers to abandon the URR streetcars, while others headed for outlying carbarns to enlist more workers to strike.		The strike quickly spread, as URR workers quickly joined the strike and within just a few days over 1,000 were on strike demanding union recognition, $3.50 a day, and an 8 hour workday. Daily parades of strikers surged through the streets, all the way to the ferries and back up Market and Mission streets, exhorting those still working to walk off and join the strike. Mass meetings were held at the Redstone Building ([[Redstone Murals list\|at 16th and Capp]]), where delegations were selected to visit major industrial sites around town, such as the Union Iron Works, to rally workers to abandon the URR streetcars, while others headed for outlying carbarns to enlist more workers to strike.

Ccarlsson: swapped link

2016-06-10T19:46:49Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 12:46, 10 June 2016
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	On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[~~TOM MOONEY~~ \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:		On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[Rising Tensions Engulf 1916 San Francisco: Class War Precedes World War I \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:

	<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. ''</blockquote>		<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. ''</blockquote>
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	'''Folsom northerly at 24th, March 18, 1914, the days when streetcars crisscrossed the neighborhood.'''		'''Folsom northerly at 24th, March 18, 1914, the days when streetcars crisscrossed the neighborhood.'''

	''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo]''		''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo] U04322''

	On August 17, another 100 men joined the strike, bringing the total to over 1,600 of the original 1,800 workers. Seven men in an automobile following the strikers' daily parade were arrested, and a search of their car discovered revolvers, clubs and other weapons. Five said they had just come from Los Angeles to work for URR, and that they were following the parade to incite a street riot. Two other carloads of men got away during the arrest. The arrested were released on bail posted by URR. On August 18 it was announced that an investigation had begun to determine which gun dealer had illegally sold 200 pistols to the United Railroads.		On August 17, another 100 men joined the strike, bringing the total to over 1,600 of the original 1,800 workers. Seven men in an automobile following the strikers' daily parade were arrested, and a search of their car discovered revolvers, clubs and other weapons. Five said they had just come from Los Angeles to work for URR, and that they were following the parade to incite a street riot. Two other carloads of men got away during the arrest. The arrested were released on bail posted by URR. On August 18 it was announced that an investigation had begun to determine which gun dealer had illegally sold 200 pistols to the United Railroads.

Ccarlsson: added SFMTA photos

2016-06-10T19:45:08Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 12:45, 10 June 2016
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	Meanwhile mobs repeatedly attacked scab streetcars throughout the city. On August 13 police dispersed crowds at Bryant and 24th streets in the Mission and at 8th and Market. By the 14th, the strike had spread so thoroughly that the URR was forced to shut most of its lines.		Meanwhile mobs repeatedly attacked scab streetcars throughout the city. On August 13 police dispersed crowds at Bryant and 24th streets in the Mission and at 8th and Market. By the 14th, the strike had spread so thoroughly that the URR was forced to shut most of its lines.

			[[Image:Bryant-and-23rd-north Jan-14-1916 U05043.jpg\|720px]]

			'''Bryant and 23rd Streets, looking north, Jan. 14, 1916, less than a year before the violent 1917 strike broke out.'''

			''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo] U05043''

	On the 15th a scab-driven inbound Sutter line car rammed into an outbound Municipal streetcar at Market and Sansome. Strike sympathizers tried to pull the scabs off the streetcar and in the ensuing melee, two URR employees were identified as "gunmen" to the police. Upon being arrested they were discovered to be holding three revolvers and a couple of blackjacks between them.		On the 15th a scab-driven inbound Sutter line car rammed into an outbound Municipal streetcar at Market and Sansome. Strike sympathizers tried to pull the scabs off the streetcar and in the ensuing melee, two URR employees were identified as "gunmen" to the police. Upon being arrested they were discovered to be holding three revolvers and a couple of blackjacks between them.
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	<blockquote>''"Edgar Hicks, a striker, boarded a [scab] streetcar at 21st and Folsom, and after paying his fare, asked the men to join the strikers. He was immediately set upon by a pair of [URR thugs], who were armed with iron bars and police clubs, and was severely beaten about the head and face... The prisoners were later released on $100 bail furnished by the United Railroads." ''</blockquote>		<blockquote>''"Edgar Hicks, a striker, boarded a [scab] streetcar at 21st and Folsom, and after paying his fare, asked the men to join the strikers. He was immediately set upon by a pair of [URR thugs], who were armed with iron bars and police clubs, and was severely beaten about the head and face... The prisoners were later released on $100 bail furnished by the United Railroads." ''</blockquote>

			[[Image:24th-and-Folsom-March-18-1914.jpg]]

			'''Folsom northerly at 24th, March 18, 1914, the days when streetcars crisscrossed the neighborhood.'''

			''Photo: [http://sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo]''

	On August 17, another 100 men joined the strike, bringing the total to over 1,600 of the original 1,800 workers. Seven men in an automobile following the strikers' daily parade were arrested, and a search of their car discovered revolvers, clubs and other weapons. Five said they had just come from Los Angeles to work for URR, and that they were following the parade to incite a street riot. Two other carloads of men got away during the arrest. The arrested were released on bail posted by URR. On August 18 it was announced that an investigation had begun to determine which gun dealer had illegally sold 200 pistols to the United Railroads.		On August 17, another 100 men joined the strike, bringing the total to over 1,600 of the original 1,800 workers. Seven men in an automobile following the strikers' daily parade were arrested, and a search of their car discovered revolvers, clubs and other weapons. Five said they had just come from Los Angeles to work for URR, and that they were following the parade to incite a street riot. Two other carloads of men got away during the arrest. The arrested were released on bail posted by URR. On August 18 it was announced that an investigation had begun to determine which gun dealer had illegally sold 200 pistols to the United Railroads.

Ccarlsson: added color box to abstract and fixed video codes and formatting

2014-03-18T00:28:32Z

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Ccarlsson: added color box to abstract and fixed video code

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← Older revision		Revision as of 17:25, 17 March 2014
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	''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.''		''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.''

	~~{{#ev~~:archive\|ssfCARSTRIK~~\|320}}~~		<iframe src="https://archive.org/embed/ssfCARSTRIK" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" allowfullscreen></iframe>

	[http://www.archive.org/details/ssfCARSTRIK video of strikers on Haight and Buchanan, 1917]		[http://www.archive.org/details/ssfCARSTRIK video of strikers on Haight and Buchanan, 1917]


	'''This account, based primarily on ''SF Examiner'' articles of the period, describes the strike of 1917 against United Railroads, a former streetcar service in San Francisco, by its streetcar employees. The article details the week following the initial strike by streetcar workers demanding unionization, a minimum wage, and an 8 hour day. As thousands of workers joined the strike, United Railroads brought in scab workers to work the streetcars and employees to hassle the striking workers. Daily marches and mob attacks occurred throughout the city for three months until late November when the strike was finally defeated by the company whose ultimate power lay in the use of its resources to wait out the strike and leverage an entirely new workforce.'''		{\| style="color: black; background-color: #F5DA81;"
			\| colspan="2" \| '''This account, based primarily on ''SF Examiner'' articles of the period, describes the strike of 1917 against United Railroads, a former streetcar service in San Francisco, by its streetcar employees. The article details the week following the initial strike by streetcar workers demanding unionization, a minimum wage, and an 8 hour day. As thousands of workers joined the strike, United Railroads brought in scab workers to work the streetcars and employees to hassle the striking workers. Daily marches and mob attacks occurred throughout the city for three months until late November when the strike was finally defeated by the company whose ultimate power lay in the use of its resources to wait out the strike and leverage an entirely new workforce.'''
			\|}

Lisaruth: edited abstract

2013-05-01T16:27:38Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 09:27, 1 May 2013
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	'''This account, based primarily on ''SF Examiner'' articles of the period, describes the strike of 1917 against United Railroads, a former streetcar service in San Francisco, by its streetcar employees. The article details the week following the initial strike by streetcar workers demanding unionization, a minimum wage, and an 8 hour day. As thousands of workers joined the strike, United Railroads brought in scab workers to work the streetcars and employees to hassle the striking workers. Daily marches and mob attacks occurred throughout the city for three months until late November when the strike was finally defeated by the company.'''		'''This account, based primarily on ''SF Examiner'' articles of the period, describes the strike of 1917 against United Railroads, a former streetcar service in San Francisco, by its streetcar employees. The article details the week following the initial strike by streetcar workers demanding unionization, a minimum wage, and an 8 hour day. As thousands of workers joined the strike, United Railroads brought in scab workers to work the streetcars and employees to hassle the striking workers. Daily marches and mob attacks occurred throughout the city for three months until late November when the strike was finally defeated by the company whose ultimate power lay in the use of its resources to wait out the strike and leverage an entirely new workforce.'''

Lisaruth: added abstract

2013-05-01T16:04:36Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 09:04, 1 May 2013
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	''by Chris Carlsson ''		''by Chris Carlsson ''

	~~(based primarily on ''SF Examiner'' articles of the period)~~

	[[Image:labor1$urr-carbarn-in-1917.jpg]]		[[Image:labor1$urr-carbarn-in-1917.jpg]]
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	[http://www.archive.org/details/ssfCARSTRIK video of strikers on Haight and Buchanan, 1917]		[http://www.archive.org/details/ssfCARSTRIK video of strikers on Haight and Buchanan, 1917]


			'''This account, based primarily on ''SF Examiner'' articles of the period, describes the strike of 1917 against United Railroads, a former streetcar service in San Francisco, by its streetcar employees. The article details the week following the initial strike by streetcar workers demanding unionization, a minimum wage, and an 8 hour day. As thousands of workers joined the strike, United Railroads brought in scab workers to work the streetcars and employees to hassle the striking workers. Daily marches and mob attacks occurred throughout the city for three months until late November when the strike was finally defeated by the company.'''


	On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[TOM MOONEY \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:		On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[TOM MOONEY \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:28, 17 March 2014
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	[[Image:labor1$urr-carbarn-in-1917.jpg]]		[[Image:labor1$urr-carbarn-in-1917.jpg]]

	'''Carbarn interior, c. 1917. Strikebreakers were housed in these facilities during the protracted strike of 1917.''' ''Photo: ~~Gaar~~ Collection, San Francisco, CA''		'''Carbarn interior, c. 1917. Strikebreakers were housed in these facilities during the protracted strike of 1917.'''

			''Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco, CA''

	[[Image:Market Street railway barn Bryant and Alameda Aug 5 1921 AAC-8493.jpg]]		[[Image:Market Street railway barn Bryant and Alameda Aug 5 1921 AAC-8493.jpg]]
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	On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[TOM MOONEY \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:		On August 11, 1917, at 9:45 p.m., one hundred "platform men" employed by the privately owned United Railroads (URR) streetcar service in San Francisco, abandoned their streetcars near the corner of Market, Valencia and Haight Streets, rapidly tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. Weeks of secret agitation had set the stage for a strong, well-organized walkout. (Almost exactly 13 months earlier--July 14, 1916--[[TOM MOONEY \|Tom Mooney]] and his wife Rena tried to spark a similar wildcat strike on the United Railroads, but were quickly defeated by the preparations of the company and the timely appearance of scab streetcar conductors.) The ''SF Examiner'' (8/12/1917) details the strike's beginning:

	''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. ''		<blockquote>''"The strike's leaders... arranged with the crews of three cars to block Market Street and connecting lines at a certain hour. The crews were to run slowly so that when they stopped their cars a big blockade would result. The time was set at 9:50 o'clock. Five minutes before this Car 1534 of the Valencia street line stopped at the Market street junction. A Gough, Cortland car and a Market Haight car stopped at the same time. The cars following closely on each of these lines piled up quickly. The blockade was effective. The crews stood by their cars for a few minutes. Some removed their badges and mingled with the big crowd that collected. They all announced that they were on strike, that they were not satisfied with wages or hours or conditions. ''</blockquote>

	Company officials and police arrived a few minutes later. Thirty or forty of the strikers left for the Labor Temple. They had been told to congregate there. On the way they tried to get the crews of several Sixteenth street and Mission street cars to desert. They were successful with the crew of one Sixteenth street car. Demonstrations took place in the street at this point. Poles were torn from the trolleys. A brick was hurled through a car window... It was an hour before the blockade was cleared... due in great measure to the fact that the striking motormen threw their controller bars away [and] the new crews had to hunt for the bars in the streets."		Company officials and police arrived a few minutes later. Thirty or forty of the strikers left for the Labor Temple. They had been told to congregate there. On the way they tried to get the crews of several Sixteenth street and Mission street cars to desert. They were successful with the crew of one Sixteenth street car. Demonstrations took place in the street at this point. Poles were torn from the trolleys. A brick was hurled through a car window... It was an hour before the blockade was cleared... due in great measure to the fact that the striking motormen threw their controller bars away [and] the new crews had to hunt for the bars in the streets."
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	The strike quickly spread, as URR workers quickly joined the strike and within just a few days over 1,000 were on strike demanding union recognition, $3.50 a day, and an 8 hour workday. Daily parades of strikers surged through the streets, all the way to the ferries and back up Market and Mission streets, exhorting those still working to walk off and join the strike. Mass meetings were held at the Redstone Building ([[Redstone Murals list\|at 16th and Capp]]), where delegations were selected to visit major industrial sites around town, such as the Union Iron Works, to rally workers to abandon the URR streetcars, while others headed for outlying carbarns to enlist more workers to strike.		The strike quickly spread, as URR workers quickly joined the strike and within just a few days over 1,000 were on strike demanding union recognition, $3.50 a day, and an 8 hour workday. Daily parades of strikers surged through the streets, all the way to the ferries and back up Market and Mission streets, exhorting those still working to walk off and join the strike. Mass meetings were held at the Redstone Building ([[Redstone Murals list\|at 16th and Capp]]), where delegations were selected to visit major industrial sites around town, such as the Union Iron Works, to rally workers to abandon the URR streetcars, while others headed for outlying carbarns to enlist more workers to strike.

	~~{{#ev~~:archive\|UnitedRa1917\|640}}		<iframe src="https://archive.org/embed/UnitedRa1917" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" allowfullscreen></iframe>

	'''1917 strikers march against United Railroads' open shop.'''		'''1917 strikers march against United Railroads' open shop.'''
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	In an incident typical of the low-intensity violence that characterized this strike, the ''Examiner'' reports on August 16 the following:		In an incident typical of the low-intensity violence that characterized this strike, the ''Examiner'' reports on August 16 the following:

	''"Edgar Hicks, a striker, boarded a [scab] streetcar at 21st and Folsom, and after paying his fare, asked the men to join the strikers. He was immediately set upon by a pair of [URR thugs], who were armed with iron bars and police clubs, and was severely beaten about the head and face... The prisoners were later released on $100 bail furnished by the United Railroads." ''		<blockquote>''"Edgar Hicks, a striker, boarded a [scab] streetcar at 21st and Folsom, and after paying his fare, asked the men to join the strikers. He was immediately set upon by a pair of [URR thugs], who were armed with iron bars and police clubs, and was severely beaten about the head and face... The prisoners were later released on $100 bail furnished by the United Railroads." ''</blockquote>

	On August 17, another 100 men joined the strike, bringing the total to over 1,600 of the original 1,800 workers. Seven men in an automobile following the strikers' daily parade were arrested, and a search of their car discovered revolvers, clubs and other weapons. Five said they had just come from Los Angeles to work for URR, and that they were following the parade to incite a street riot. Two other carloads of men got away during the arrest. The arrested were released on bail posted by URR. On August 18 it was announced that an investigation had begun to determine which gun dealer had illegally sold 200 pistols to the United Railroads.		On August 17, another 100 men joined the strike, bringing the total to over 1,600 of the original 1,800 workers. Seven men in an automobile following the strikers' daily parade were arrested, and a search of their car discovered revolvers, clubs and other weapons. Five said they had just come from Los Angeles to work for URR, and that they were following the parade to incite a street riot. Two other carloads of men got away during the arrest. The arrested were released on bail posted by URR. On August 18 it was announced that an investigation had begun to determine which gun dealer had illegally sold 200 pistols to the United Railroads.