It had been a long time coming, and there was some definite “healing” to get started around Oneonta in December 1923.
A railroad strike had been ongoing at the Delaware & Hudson Railroad since July 1, 1922, and it was coming to an end. It was a strike that wasn’t too pleasant at times among those living around Oneonta.
News was breaking around Thanksgiving time, as The Oneonta Star of Nov. 23 reported, “Striking shopmen of the D. & H. railroad …are now engaged in taking a vote upon a proposal to end the strike and return to work. Plans for a system wide vote were perfected at a conference held in Troy on Sunday, November 11, it is now announced voting has commenced.”
The Star reported on Nov. 24 that a vote in Oneonta would be held that day. “While the officials of the Federated Shopcraft did not care to disclose the exact form of the ballot, it will be a secret ballot and the men will have presented a direct question that can be answered yes or no upon the discontinuance of the strike.
“It is expected that the balloting over the system,” which includes places such as Binghamton, Albany and other points, “will be completed this week and that the reports will be forwarded to Albany and as soon as they can be counted and tabulated, a report will be sent to all the heads of organizations where unions exist. It is expected that the result will be announced some time during the coming week. It is hoped by the union officials that no rumors will be accepted, assurances having been given that the men will be called together and informed of the result collectively as soon as the result is known.”
The tabulation process was slow. As Star readers of Dec. 5 learned, “Official announcement was made last night at a meeting of the Federated Shopcraft that the vote recently taken of former employees of the D. & H. company, embracing in all something like 4,000 men on the system, resulted in a majority declaring themselves in favor of ending the strike and returning to work.
“No figures were obtainable as to the number of men who will ask for their former positions. At the time the strike was called it was generally understood that there were about 800 men in Oneonta who failed to report for work. It is known that a considerable number of them have secured positions elsewhere and others have entered other employment. It is doubtless true that if the company is inclined to accept the men desiring to return that those who own their homes here and others who have not found places more attractive will doubtless make application.”
The Star reported on Dec. 6 that about 100 applications were made on the first day the railroad took them. Hopes were that many would return with the coming new year.
This ended a long period of turmoil in the city. Back in July 1922 replacement workers had been brought in to take over the jobs the unionized workers had vacated. Temporary barracks were set up in the D&H rail yards to house the strikebreakers.
Throughout the summer there were occasional clashes between strikers and the replacements. As The Star reported on Monday, Aug. 22, 1922 the city and D&H police were busy over the weekend.
“Numerous fights about the streets on Saturday evening and a revolver battle near Duane street last night…kept the…departments on the jump.” Apparently several strikebreakers on Saturday “came uptown. They were forcibly rejected from Dreamland hall and chased for a considerable distance.” An identified strikebreaker was at the 20th Century Lunch, and strike sympathizers exchanged several blows before police arrived to disperse the fracas. Another fight almost immediately broke out on Broad Street. As for the revolver battle, no one was identified as hit after some strikers or sympathizers were reportedly throwing stones at some strikebreakers on the job in the railroad yards.
Less violent tensions simmered throughout the strike, but at last, the healing could begin.
On Wednesday, Christmas time in the area in 1988.
Oneonta City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area before 1950. His Wednesday columns address local history 1950 and later. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is oneontanyhistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/opinion/columns/.