Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) Strike / Police Brutality on Labor Day
One hundred years ago today in NYC… It was the day after Labor Day, and roughly 1,000 workers from Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) had been on strike for weeks. (See NY1920's May 1 post on the difference between the US Labor Day, founded in NYC, and the International Labor Day.)
According to The Daily News on September 7, 1920, the BRT strikers dominated New York City's Labor Day Parade. About 60,000 men and women, who represented the labor union of Brooklyn and Queens, marched from State and Clinton streets to Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
The Daily News. 7 September, 1920. “Brooklyn Labor Day Parade.” Newspapers.com.
On the same page of the newspaper is a shot of Mayor Hylan with whom William D. Mahon was trying to obtain a conference with. Mahon was the international president of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees (AASERE), also known as Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
The Daily News. 7 September, 1920. “Brooklyn Labor Day Parade.” Newspapers.com.
The Daily News cover page of August 23 had featured photos relating to the BRT strike:
The Daily News. Cover Page. 30 August, 1920. Newspapers.com.
Violent Treatment of Strikers by Officials
An article in the same newspaper (The Daily News on September 7, 1920, p. 2) talked about police brutality and casualties during the Labor Day demonstrations. While the protesters tried to rush a Flatbush avenue car at Prospect Park Plaza, the police hit the protesters with clubs and revolvers. It was revealed that a striker was shot.
Streetcars Being Protected from Strikers (Original Caption) Screens have been placed on all surface cars of the BRT system to protect strikebreakers from flying missiles. 30, August 1920. Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images. Corbis Historical.
More shots were fired and missiles were thrown at the crowd. A lot of the strikers were severely injured and a man was cut by flying glass. Three detectives were beaten, hit by stones, and kicked and thrown to the ground. Thirteen men were arrested while police reserves dispersed the crowd.
The Daily News. 7 September, 1920. “Striker Shot in Labor Day Riot” (partially clipped). Newspapers.com.
Similarly, The New York Times covered the protest action which emphasized police brutality.
Bus Driving Down Street (Original Caption) BRT employs "armored cars" screened for protection to break the strike. 1 September, 1920. Photo by Bettman via Getty Images.
Inducement and Threats to BRT Workers
The Evening World. “4,000 BRT Men at Work; Many More Trains Run; Bus Service Ends To-Night.” 7 September, 1920. Newspapers.com.
According to The Evening World on the same day, BRT had threatened to forfeit the seniority rights and other privileges of the workers that were on strike. This was if they did not return to work by noon the next day. The threat was based on the ultimatum given by the receiver and head system for the company named Lindley M. Garrison. She recently issued a statement reiterating that he would not negotiate with the union conducting the strike.
The strikers who participated in the Labor Day parade called themselves "Garrison's Bolsheviks," and while most of them wore BRT uniforms, some were in army uniforms as well.
BRT did a lot of measures to make the workers come back, and even offered a ten percent increase in wages to employees who would return the next day. With this, some of the strikers returned and the traffic conditions have improved.
BRT Strike Making it Hard for Transportation (Original Caption). Brooklyn girls working in Manhattan department stores, jump on the back of one of the store's trucks and ride home, not in comfort, but they ride, and that is better than walking. The BRT strike is making riding a difficult question, for there are not sufficient cars during the rush hour.
WRITTEN BY MICAH RIMANDO. SEPTEMBER 7, 2020.
TAGS: BRT Strike, Brooklyn Rapid Transit, Strike, Labor Day, Police Brutality, Transport Strike
REFERENCES:
2,000 B.R.T. Strikers in Riot With Police; One Shot, Several Hurt. (1920, September 7). New York Tribune, p.1.
Mob Fights Police in B.R.T. Riot; 1 Shot, Many Hurt. (1920, September 7). The New York Times, p.1.
Striker Shot in Labor Day Riot. (1920, September 7). The Daily News, p. 2.