The Pressed Steel Car Strike of 1909 was an American labor dispute which ran from July to September in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The strike was triggered on July 10th, a payday on which many workers were shorted by the Pressed Steel Car Company.

The strike began on July 13th, and grew to include more than 8,000 workers, 3,000 of whom were also from the Standard Steel Car Company. By the next day, 500 cops began working to protect strikebreakers and evict strikers from company houses. The New York Times called the immigrant workforce "savages" and "illiterate foreigners".

Management refused to speak with the workers' representatives and James Rider, manager of the Pressed Steel Car Company, responded to their strike by hiring Pearl Bergoff, a notorious owner of a strike-breaking paramilitary force.

The workers were joined by members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), including founders William Trautmann and "Big Bill" Haywood, as well as "Smiling Joe" Ettor.

The walkout drew national attention when, on this day in 1909, a bloody battle took place between strikers, private security agents, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The violence began after strikers boarded a trolley to search for scabs and they were confronted by an armed deputy, who opened fire. In the fighting that followed, between 12 and 26 people were killed.

The strike was settled on September 8th when Pressed Steel Car agreed to a wage increase, the posting of wage rates, and ended abuses in company housing practices. This labor dispute would be a precursor to the Great Steel Strike of 1919.

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  • Magician [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    That's rough. I've had similar frustrations with my own family around getting my health needs addressed. You have every right to be angry, and from what you've said, it sounds like you're noticing a pattern behavior from your dad. And that really sucks because a parent is supposed to care enough to listen. Especially when it comes to health concerns.

    It hurts, but I'm glad you seem to know what you need to take care of your health. Continue listening to your body, and go with your gut when you feel like something's wrong.

    And this is my intuition about a dynamic that feels familiar to my own - were you the one who pointed out clear problems stemming from neglect and poor maintenance? I came from a family like that and I got scapegoated when things went wrong or when I pointed out things that had been going bad for some time. I struggled for a long time blaming myself for things going wrong or listening to my family on things that got worse as a result. If this resonates with you, just know you're already doing a really good job on taking care of yourself and you're getting better at that.