e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online

1877 Railroad Strike

Labor Movement Section 1 of 12

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While coal strikes were a big part of West Virginia’s labor history, other strikes in the state also got national attention.

In 1877, a national economic crisis led the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to cut workers’ pay by 10%. Angry workers went on strike, starting in Martinsburg. Governor Henry Mathews sent the militia, but many soldiers had ties to the strikers and refused to act. Violence broke out, and one striker was killed. When state forces couldn’t stop the strike, federal troops were sent in and ended the unrest in Martinsburg.

The strike quickly spread nationally, and over the coming weeks, more than 100 people would be killed in strike-related violence.