1885 Yonkers carpet weavers strike
| 1885 Yonkers carpet weavers strike | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Alexander Smith & Sons weaving mills (1886)[1] | |||
| Date | February 20, 1885 – July 16, 1885 | ||
| Location | Yonkers, New York, US | ||
| Caused by | Retaliation | ||
| Goals | Restored wages, no more unfair pay docking, no more tyranny from the boss, reinstate fired union members. | ||
| Result | Company agreed to recognize the union, raise pay, and reevaluate the docking system. The union agreed to provide notice before striking and try arbitrary first. | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
On February 20, 1885, carpet weavers at Alexander Smith & Sons mills in Yonkers, New York, United States, went on strike after the company fired several women who had joined the newly-formed union.[2][1] The union had been organizing for the better part of a year, forming their own chapter of the Knights of Labor and preparing to demand better wages and working conditions at the mills.[3] Workers at the mills were predominantly young immigrants, with women making up approximately 75 percent of the workforce.[4]
When the weavers went on strike and walked out, Smith responded by locking them out of the mills.[5][6] What started with a group of weavers from the tapestry department at 10 AM grew to over 3,000 strikers by the end of the day.[5][6] The following week, the strikers released a statement with their four core demands:[1]
First, the restoration of wages paid before December 1, 1884; Second, a readjustment of the arbitrary and unjust system of docking adopted by the firm; Third, a reinstatement of all employees unjustly discharged and no one to be discharged in the future except for cause assigned; Fourth, NO MORE BOSS OR SUPERINTENDENT TYRANNY. [emphasis in source]
— Statement from the striking workers, printed in the Yonkers' Statesman on February 27, 1885.[7]
The demand to end "TYRANNY" at the mills was a reference to a new disciplinary docking system that had been introduced over the past year.[8] This system punished workers for many social and human behaviors: talking with other workers, eating meals with other workers, laughing out loud, and looking out a window (even just to get some fresh air) were all punishable behaviors under the new docking system rules, according to the workers.[9] Sick and bereaved workers who missed a shift were also docked and risked being "discharged" (or fired) by management.[10]
On July 16, after several months on strike, a settlement was reached in which the company agreed to increase workers' wages by rolling back a previous wage reduction and adding a 10 percent advance.[11] Workers would no longer be punished for membership in the union, and the workers who had been fired back in February would be rehired.[11] The company also promised to address the docking system.[11] In return, the union agreed to provide notice in the future if they intended to strike, and they also agreed to arbitration as a first step. The union declared victory.[11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Levine 1981, p. 162.
- ↑ "Carpet Workers on Strike". The New York Times. February 21, 1885. p. 8.
- ↑ Levine 1981, pp. 160–162.
- ↑ Levine 1981, p. 158.
- 1 2 Levine 1981, pp. 162–163.
- 1 2 "On This Day in Yonkers History…". Yonkers Times. February 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- ↑ Levine 1981, p. 162, Footnote 15.
- ↑ Levine 1981, p. 163.
- ↑ Levine 1981, pp. 163–164.
- ↑ Levine 1981, p. 164.
- 1 2 3 4 Levine 1981, p. 173.
Bibliography
[edit]- Levine, Susan (1981). "'Honor Each Noble Maid': Women Workers and the Yonkers Carpet Weavers' Strike of 1885". New York History. 62 (2): 153–176. JSTOR 23169768.
