On September 9, 1919, 1117 Boston Police officers failed to report to work. They had agreed to go on strike after the Commissioner of Police Curtis had failed to listen to their grievances through the American Federation of Labor. The police officers were pushing for better pay, improved working conditions and reduced working hours. As a result of the strike, the city of Boston witnessed 48 hours of lawlessness. In an attempt to restore security, the Governor Coolidge deployed 5000 state guards into the city. An estimated $34000 worth of losses were incurred as a result of the violence. The striking police were condemned by the public and labeled deserters. Their attempts to resume work failed and they were eventually dismissed and 1574 war veterans recruited as their replacements. Strikes compromise the security and economy of a city.
Police officers in Boston had their grievances too, and they expressed them from as early as 1917. The salaries of the police officers had not been increased since 1857 when new officers were paid two dollars on a daily basis. A graduated scale had been set in 1898, but disputes delayed the implementation for 15 years. When implemented in 1913, the increment was insignificant because the cost of living had increased by 37% compared to 1898. In 1918, the living cost further increased by another 79%. A patrolman earned an annual salary of $1,200, out of which they had to purchase their own uniforms. A new officer earned $730 on his first year of service. The pay was increased to $821.25 in his second year of service then to $1,200 on the fourth year of service. Another point of protest was the work hours. The officers worked for 7 days every week with a day off every 15 days. Depending on the time of duty, the officers either worked for 73 or 83 hours per week. During the day off, the officers were not allowed to leave the town without permission. The living conditions of the officers were deplorable. Up to four officers used the same bed in succession. The bedding was full of bedbugs and roaches. Furthermore, they had a shortage of toilets. For instance, in a station, four toilets were shared by 135 officers. Ethnic protests also emerged when Protestants Yankees wanted to control the Irish-Catholic rank and file of the Police Department in Boston.
In 1917, the Boston Social Club met with the Police Commissioner Stephen O’Meara in an attempt to push for a raise. He responded by saying that while he favored a pay rise, his hands were tied over the issue. Following his death, in 1918, Edwin Upton Curtis, the former Mayor, became the new Commissioner of the Police Department of Boston. The failure to meet the demands of the police officers led them to join the American Federation of Labor, in June 1919. Curtis had made it clear that a police officer was neither allowed to join a club nor an organization outside the department. He, therefore, refused to recognize both the Boston Social Club and the American Federation of Labor. He, instead, formed his own grievance committee to look into the dispute. He suspended 19 police union organizers, who later faced charges of associating with the activities of a forbidden union. The officers were found guilty and had their suspensions extended. Curtis said this was done to give the officers time to reconsider their actions and avoid dismissal. On the same day, members of the police union voted in favor of a strike, which was to begin on the following day.
At 5.45 p.m., September 9, 1919, out of 1,544 officers, 1,117 did not report for work. Coolidge, the Governor, had 100 officers from the Metropolitan Park Police Department replace the striking policemen. 58 of the officers who went against the order got suspensions. For the next 48 hours, criminal activities in the city skyrocketed. Hooliganism and looting outbreaks were witnessed. Youths engaged in throwing stones and overturning street vendor carts. Moreover, they smashed store windows and looted the displays. Gambling was also done in public. A crowd of about 10,000 people gathered in Scollay Square. Afterwards, the window of a cigar store was broken and the store emptied. The violence spread to downtown Boston, Hanover Street, Washington Street and South Boston. The non-striking Boston police and the Metropolitan officers found it almost impossible to keep the unruliness under control. Harvard University President, Lawrence Lowell, and other businessmen urged students and residents to volunteer. Governor Coolidge responded to the Mayors plea, of furnishing a force of State Guards, by deploying 5,000 men to the city. A few more instances of violence and shooting continued, which led to the death of nine civilians. It was estimated that property worth more than $34,000 was destroyed in the process.
The nation was shocked by the events that had taken place in Boston. American newspaper editorial writers described the strike as “Bolshevism.” Newspapers referred to the police officers as “deserters.” Due to the public’s disapproval of their actions and the unwavering stance taken by Curtis and Coolidge, the officers began to reconsider returning to work. However, when the President of the American Federation of Labor, Samuel Gompers, sent a request to the Governor to have the police reinstated the Governor responded by saying that striking against the safety of the public was forbidden. On September 13, Police Commissioner Curtis made the announcement that a new force would be recruited. Consequently, 1,100 Boston police officers were fired, and 1,574 World War 1 veterans employed to replace them. The new officers received a salary increment, more free days and were provided with uniforms by the city. A new recruit earned $1,400 every year plus a pension plan. The residents of Boston collectively raised $572,000 to pay the State Guards before new officers had been recruited. The striking officers formed the Association of Former Police of the City of Boston. The strike played a crucial role in Governor Coolidge’s reelection, on November 4th, 1919. He won against an opponent who supported the reinstatement of the police officers. The following year, he became the Vice-President of the United States of America. On 2nd August, 1923, Coolidge became the President after the passing on of President Warren Harding.
A strike may be peaceful or accompanied by violence. Peaceful strikes may disrupt the traffic as the striking people would block the highways while trying to make their grievances heard. Strikes accompanied by violence would cause many negative effects. The security is compromised and the economic flow is interrupted. Violent strikes would give hooligans an opportunity to cause violence while disguised as the strikers. Shops, supermarkets, banks and other businesses would stop their operations. There would be a presence of long traffic jams since protestors would block the major highways. As a result, many people would fail to make it to their appointments in time. The delivery of goods to various destinations would be delayed. Ambulances carrying critical patients would be stranded, leading to the loss of lives that would have been saved. Businesses would record losses as a result of the disruption of the flow of trade.
If police officers are called to disperse the protestors, violence would emerge. The officers and the protestors would engage in battle. This may involve the throwing of stones by the protestors and even physically attacking the officers. If the protestors become too unruly to control, the officers may resort to the use of force to try and control them. They may hit the protestors with clubs or whips. To disperse the unruly crowd, the officers may use pepper spray or tear gas. The created scene would be bloody and protestors as well as police officers would sustain mild to serious injuries.
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Gingerich, T. E., Paynich, R., & Conser, J. A. (2011). Law Enforcement in the United States. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Huus, K. (2012, September 10). Chicago teachers strike affects 350,000 students. Retrieved November 21, 2012, from NBC News: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/10/13778800-chicago-teachers-strike-affects-350000-students?lite
Weineke, D. (2008, December 31). Boston Police Strike of 1919. Retrieved Novemeber 21, 2012, from Boston History and Architecture: http://www.iboston.org/mcp.php?pid=policeStrike
