The Great Rail Strike Cripples Pacific Northwest Logistics
Defective equipment and massive delays plague the Harriman system as the national strike by railway workers intensifies.
Chicago, Feb. 8. The president of an international union having made an extended tour of the West has just returned to Chicago. He was particularly interested in noting the effect of the Harriman strike on the operation of trains. He reports that in his trip from Salt Lake to Ogden, Butte, Montana; Pendleton, Oregon; Seattle, Portland, Oregon and then south to Los Angeles, trains were nearly all late, almost wholly due to defective equipment. From Los Angeles back by way of Phoenix, Arizona, to El Paso and San Antonio, Texas, trains were running from one hour to ten hours late. It was further stated that the strikers at the various points affirmed that the passenger service is being taken care of, but that the freight service was practically demoralized. It is a common practice now to use freight engines on passenger trains, showing the lack of repairs. The situation as a whole looks extremely favorable to the strikers, taking into consideration that there have been very few desertions, and it is rumored that officials of the Harriman system are becoming disheartened over their attempt to deny the recognition of the System Federation.
“It is a common practice now to use freight engines on passenger trains, showing the lack of repairs.”
This 1912 report highlights the immense economic leverage rail workers held over national infrastructure. Today, modern labor disputes in rail and logistics—like the 2022 freight rail crisis—continue to underscore how sensitive the American supply chain remains to the collective bargaining of essential transit workers.
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