Worcester Business Journal

40 W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s 1822-1921 W orcester's reputation as a family- and commu- nity-centered city – as well as a much-her- alded provider of wartime supplies in World War I – did not insulate it from labor unrest. e Worcester Machinists Strike of 1915, the largest in Worcester history then to date, moved the needle in national attention. Worcester manufactur- ers were better-organized and vigorously anti-union, according to an account published in the Summer 1988 Historical Journal of Massachusetts. Author Bruce Cohen lays out the dynamics: Pater- nalism and ethnic loyalty reigned supreme, partic- ularly among skilled Swedish and other Northern European crasmen who had been recruited by the companies. Many of those groups had home-own- ership stakes in company-built homes and enjoyed company-supported community-building benefits. at beneficence didn't extend to all workers, though. e varied ethnicity of the workforce in the five largest companies in the strike, with hierarchies within companies in which American-born and northern European workers were paid more than southern Europeans, drove a further split in the support for union initiatives, Cohen said. Wage and skill differentials, ethnic barriers, and the strength of the Worcester branch of the National Metal Trades Associa- tion led to this. Wage and skill differentials were partially the result of manufacturers' standardization of job functions, leading to specialized operations that limited em- ployees' ability to expand their expertise, and thus, their job mobility. e 1915 strike was significant enough to merit a report in e New York Times. A total of 385 machinists at Reed-Prentice Co. in Worcester went out on strike on Sept. 20, 1915, protesting man- agement's rejection of a 48-hour workweek and a 5 cents per hour pay increase. e plant had been working around the clock on wartime orders for World War I. On Sept. 27, about 1,500 machinists in Worcester companies had gone on strike. But by Jan. 1 of 1916, the strike was over, due to strike-breaking tactics by manufacturers and the Worcester branch of the MTA. Class and cra distinctions, as well as the dif- ferential in workers' language proficiency in English, played a part. Cohen notes city leaders' attempts to end the strike failed. e presence of locally-educated industry lead- ership in the metal trades reflected a management community within the wider industrial community of labor, and in the 1915 strike, management won. For Worcester, it wouldn't be the last time. — Christina P. O'Neill Machinists' strike sought to improve pay, hours Manufacturers defeated workers within three months On Sept. 27, about 1,500 machinists in Worcester companies had gone on strike. But by Jan. 1 of 1916, the strike was over. e Worcester machinists strike garnered national headlines. Worcester Labor Bureau, 1903. Image | Worcester Historical Museum Image | Worcester Public Library

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