Research

Administrative History

On August 13, 1892, switchmen workers in Buffalo, NY, outraged over their railroad company's refusal to obey a law passed earlier that year that mandated a raise of the minimum wage, decided to strike in protest. The switchmen strike quickly turned into a violent, uncontrollable riot. Strikers tried everything in their power to stop the movement of trains and set a number of abandoned railcars on fire. On August 17, Buffalo police received assistance from thousands of state militia infantries throughout New York, from as far away as Rochester, Syracuse, Auburn and Elmira. The strike ended on August 25, when the strikers found it too difficult to go against the police and militiamen without the support of numerous strikebreakers, who favored returning to work. The switchmen agreed to return to work, yet many were ostracized by the railroad company afterward because of their participation in the strike.