The Telephone Strike Collapses
After two months of struggling for better conditions, Spokane's striking telephone operators disband their union.
After making a hard fight for more than two months, during which time they held almost daily sessions, the striking telephone girls have given up in despair and will disband their union. Some of them have applied for their old positions, while others have taken up different employment. The girls are very bitter against the other unions, claiming that with the exception of the linemen, who were themselves on a strike, they were given no assistance.
“The girls are very bitter against the other unions, claiming that with the exception of the linemen... they were given no assistance.”
This 1903 labor action highlights the perennial struggle for recognition in the workplace, particularly for female-dominated professions, and the recurring theme of labor solidarity (or the lack thereof) during strikes.
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