The statistics of strikes for 1881-1900 show that there were 22,793 strikes, involving 117,509 establishments and 6,105,694 workingmen; of this number 50.77 per cent were successful; 13.04 per cent partially so, and 36.19 per cent failed. The greatest per cent of strikes which were successful were for reduction of hours, overtime pay, etc., 59.3 per cent; 532 per cent of those for increase of wages were successful and 182 per cent partially so; and 50.8 per cent of those for recognition of the union were successful. The statistics of lockouts show 42.93 per cent successful and 6.28 per cent partially so.
The first decade of the present century was marked in the United States by many strikes for the reduction of hours. Eight hours had become customary in many trades and those unions not enjoying it made concerted efforts to attain shorter hours and generally won. Among the most severe and protracted of these strikes was that of the International Typo graphical Union and affiliated organizations in the printing trade in 1906. This was bitterly fought in every large city in the country and was not entirely won for two or three years. The losses to the employers, unions and the public, both direct and indirect, were estimated at $25,000,000. As a result the Printers' League was organized by employers in the book, job and publication branch of the industry and this body, together with the American Newspaper Publishers' Association, has since endeavored to settle all difficulties by arbitration and largely succeeded.
The railroad trainmen were among the last to secure eight hours, the companies contend ing that the character of railway work was such that men had to continue until the trains arrived at destinations, so no hour schedule was possible. The men demanded overtime
rate for work beyond eight hours and a nation wide strike was called for 4 Sept. 1916. At the time the railways were glutted with busi ness and obviously a prolonged railroad strike meant paralysis to more than half the industries of the country, and lack of both food and fuel in many places. President Wilson demanded Congressional legislation to meet the Situation and the Adamson Eight-Hour Act was rushed through and put into effect 1 Jan. 1917.
The War Situation.— In 1917 there were numerous demands made on employers for higher wages, growing out of the presumed great profits of manufacturers working on war orders. The strikes were mostly settled by pay ing the wages demanded and rapid increases of wages followed. When America entered the war, the reduced number of workers en abled workmen in many instances to dictate their pay and this with a general understand ing that strikes were unpatriotic, reduced the strike evil for the time being. Owing to the scarcity of domestic commodities, however, the advance inprices and consequent high cost of living, the demands on employers for increased wages became more urgent during 1919 and re sulted in many serious strikes, lockouts and closing of factories. Arbitration in many cases was refused and the strike remedy unfortu nately was resorted to with ever-increasing fre quency. See AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR; TRADE UNIONS.