On July 16, 1917, Seattle and Tacoma street car employees strike Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company. The strike protests the firing of seven Tacoma streetcar workers fired for union activities. The Seattle and Tacoma unions also demand union recognition, a eight-hour day, and better working conditions.
Strikebreakers Strike Too
The company attempted to operate with strikebreakers brought in by the trainload from the East, but many of these joined the strikers. The owners failed miserably to break the strike. It was estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the citizens supported the streetcar men. On about October 1, 1917, the company recognized the union. Many remaining issues were settled by arbitration.
Sources:
[Washington State] Bureau of Labor, Bureau of Labor Eleventh Biennial Report 1917-1918 (Olympia: Frank M. Lamborn, Public Printer, 1918), 64-65.
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