1894 Cripple Creek strike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

1894 Cripple Creek strike - Essay Example America was in the throes of an economic depression. Banking institutions, businesses and factories closed, and â€Å"as a result, millions of laborers were idle† (Rastall, 9). The country was rocked by strikes in various parts. The situation was exacerbated at Cripple Creek by the closing of Colorado’s silver mines. Workers, desperate for jobs, came to Cripple Creek, creating a labor surplus. The mines had no uniform working-hours, with some having a ten-hour day and others an eight-hour day. â€Å"The wage at all the mines was uniformly three dollars per day, irrespective of the length of the shift† (Rastall, 19). Citing the economic condition, the owner attempted to increase the working day from eight hours to nine and 10, with no increase in pay. The alternative offered was that Workers could keep the eight-hour day, but for a reduction of 50 cents in their daily pay. The dissenting miners formed the Free Coinage Union No. 19, which was part of the militant W estern Federation of Miners (WFM). The battle lines for the conflict were drawn. Attempts at compromise failed and, on February 7, 1894, all mines with eight and ten hour days were closed. The miners went on strike, and set up roving picket lines. In a show of solidarity, the miners who were still working in the eight-hour mines contributed 10 percent of their wages to support the strikers. A relief fund was organized and soup kitchens were set up. John Calderwood was elected President of the Union. The owners attempted in vain to open the mines. When the County Sheriff, Frank Bowers, sent a team of six deputies to defend a mine, they were captured by the local marshals â€Å"special police,† who were on the side of the strikers, but were later freed. Several miners were arrested and subsequently freed. A second crisis developed when the ranks of the hitherto law-abiding union were swelled by large numbers of rough elements. Order deteriorated with the