THE 1917 TEXAS LOUISIANA GULF COAST OIL STRIKE
NAME:
- Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast oil field strike of 1917–18.[10]
- COME BACK TO THE INTRO HERE.[11]
- CURRENTLY ON MARONEY 2013 P. 175
Background
editOrganized labor in the Texas oil industry
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In 1901, oil drillers discovered large reserves of crude oil at the Spindletop oil field in Texas.[12] This discovery initiated the Texas oil boom, a period of unprecedented economic growth for the state.[12] As early as February 1902, efforts were made by union organizers within the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to organize the oilfield workers in East Texas.[13] By 1905, local unions had been established among oilfield workers in the communities of Batson, Humble, Saratoga, Sour Lake, and Spindletop.[13] That same year, the J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company reduced its wages for a standard twelve-hour workday from $3 to $2.50 ($101.73 to $84.78 in 2023), prompting a 10-day strike action from all except the Humble local unions.[13] While the unions were successful in reverting wages back to the initial amount, union membership would decline following the strike.[13] Another strike in 1907, again against wage decreases, similarly resulted in success for the unions, though the oilfield workers still lacked official union recognition from their employers.[14] However, following this strike, due to a combination of the economic effects of the Panic of 1907 and a general lack of support for unionism among the oilfield workers, organized labor in the industry declined, with historian James C. Maroney noting that unionism in the region was "virtually eliminated ... until World War I".[10]
Renewed organizing along the Gulf Coast
editIn December 1916, due to poor working conditions, an increasing cost of living, rising inflation, and a paternalistic attitude from their employers, oilfield workers in Goose Creek organized a local union with the assistance of the Houston Trades Council and the Texas State Federation of Labor.[11][15] The following year, this union became directly affiliated with the AFL, since at the time there was no national labor union representing oilfield workers.[11][15] Soon afterwards, other local unions were organized in oil fields along the Gulf Coast in Texas and nearby Louisiana.[16] Eventually, these local unions requested a meeting with oil producers on October 15, 1917, to discuss grievances.[17] However, the oil companies, which included Humble Oil, refused to negotiate with the unions.[17][16] In a letter to the oilfield workers, Ross S. Sterling, the president of Humble Oil and representative of the employers, stated that the companies "see no reason why we should confer with outsiders or strangers upon matters which concern our employees and ourselves".[17] With this refusal to meet, the unions drafted a set of formal demands from the employers and held a vote among their members to authorize a strike.[17] Demands from the unions included union recognition, changes to the bonus payment systems, a replacement of the standard twelve- to fourteen-hour days with an eight-hour day, and a minimum wage of $4 ($95.13 in 2023) per day.[17] In the ensuing strike vote, 5,992 oilfield workers, representing 97 percent of those voting, voted in favor of a strike.[17]
Course of the strike
edit- Strike started with a walkout on November 1, 1917.[11][17]
- Began on October 31, 1917.[18]
- The strike affected roughly 10,000 workers on seventeen oilfields in Texas and Louisiana.[11][17]
- Involved 10,000 workers.[16]
- Soon after the start, the U.S. government stationed 2,000 troops outside oilfields and refineries to prevent possible sabotage, as the US had just recently entered WWI.[19]
- Members of the United States Conciliation Service attempted to mediate, but were ineffective.[11]
- After over a month, President's Mediation Commission, a special branch of the Conciliation Service headed by Verner Z. Reed, was called in to help.[11]
- Employers remained adamantly opposed to any unionism and spread the false rumor that the IWW was involved in the strike in an effort to damage the strikers' reputation.[11]
- Strike was handicapped because the oilfield workers were unable to get refinery workers to join their strike or support them.[11]
- December 1917: Reed and a team of mediators arrived in Houston.[11]
- Reed spoke with union and company representatives, submitted his final report shortly before Christmas.[11]
- His final report criticized the union for striking before government mediation services could be called in, but mostly agreed to the union's demands.[11]
- Union demands included an 8-hour day and immediate wage increases.[11]
- January 1918: Over 240 oil producers, representing 95 percent of the oilfields in the area affected by the strike, formed an employers' organization in Houston and refused to accept Reed's report.[11]
- Late January 1918: Representatives from the Department of Labor met with company and union officials and created a new settlement, separate from Reed's, that did away with most of the union's demands.[11]
Aftermath
edit- Described by historian as "near-total victory" for the oil companies.[11]
- Approximately one quarter of the striking employees lost their jobs.[11]
- Within several months, Gulf and Humble agreed to wage increases similar to the union's original demands.[11]
- Some companies undercut further union power by instituting changes such as employee-owned housing and stock options.[11]
- June 1918: Largely due to the failure of the strike, the AFL created a national union for oil workers, INFO ON THAT.[11]
- Organized labor in the Texas oil fields would not fully recover until the 1930s.[10]
References
edit- ^ Green, George Norris (2010). "Texas ... Unions ... Time: Unions in Texas from the Time of the Republic through the Great War, 1838–1919". In Cullen, David O'Donald; Wilkison, Kyle G. (eds.). The Texas Left: The Radical Roots of Lone Star Liberalism (1st ed.). College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 92–111. ISBN 978-1-60344-189-6. LCCN 2009028570. OCLC 680622457.
- ^ Wooster, Ralph A. (2008). "Over Here: Texans on the Home Front". In Storey, John W.; Kelley, Mary L. (eds.). Twentieth-Century Texas: A Social and Cultural History (1st ed.). Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press. pp. 164–195. ISBN 978-1-57441-245-1. LCCN 2007043791. OCLC 180851957.
- ^ Weaver, Bobby D. (2010). Oilfield Trash: Life and Labor in the Oil Patch. Kenneth E. Montague Series in Oil and Business History No. 22 (1st ed.). College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-60344-205-3. LCCN 2010002450. OCLC 839305046.
- ^ A History and Photographic Record of the 57th U.S. Infantry. San Antonio: San Antonio Printing Company. 1918. OCLC 15430909.
- ^ Warner, C. A. (2007). Texas Oil & Gas Since 1543 (1st Enlarged ed.). Rockport, Texas: Copano Bay Press. ISBN 978-0-9767799-5-7. OCLC 261136952.
- ^ Laurie, Clayton D.; Cole, Ronald H. (1997). "Oil, 1917: Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma". The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1877–1945. Army Historical Series. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. pp. 249–252. ISBN 0160489830. LCCN 94013148. OCLC 1134540173.
- ^ Allen, Ruth (November 15, 1941). "The Oil Workers' Union, 1903–". Chapters in the History of Organized Labor in Texas. University of Texas Publication No. 4143. Austin, Texas: University of Texas. pp. 219–248. LCCN 42036966. OCLC 1080873.
- ^ Larson, Henrietta M.; Porter, Kenneth Wiggins (1959). History of Humble Oil & Refining Company: A Study in Industrial Growth. Business History Foundation (1st ed.). New York City: Harper & Brothers. ISBN 978-0-40508-083-8. LCCN 58008875. OCLC 2090899.
- ^ Green, James R. (1978). Grass-Roots Socialism: Radical Movements in the Southwest, 1895–1943 (1st ed.). Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-0773-7. LCCN 77028205. OCLC 3609497.
- ^ a b c Maroney 2013, p. 174.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Maroney 1995.
- ^ a b Wooster & Sanders 2019.
- ^ a b c d Maroney 2013, p. 173.
- ^ Maroney 2013, pp. 173–174.
- ^ a b Maroney 2013, pp. 174–175.
- ^ a b c Siegel 1983, p. 124.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Maroney 2013, p. 175.
- ^ Siegel 1983, pp. 124, 134.
- ^ Siegel 1983, p. 134.
Sources
edit- Maroney, James C. (May 1, 1995). "Oilfield Strike of 1917". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- Maroney, James C. (2013). "The Texas-Louisiana Oil Field Strike of 1917". In Glasrud, Bruce A.; Maroney, James C. (eds.). Texas Labor History (1st ed.). College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 173–184. ISBN 978-1-60344-945-8. LCCN 2012044210. OCLC 841229553.
- Siegel, Stanley E. (1983). Houston: A Chronicle of the Supercity on Buffalo Bayou. Produced in cooperation with the Harris County Historical Society (1st ed.). Los Angeles: Windsor Publications. ISBN 978-0-89781-072-2. LCCN 83017067. OCLC 9853645.
- Wooster, Robert; Sanders, Christine Moor (April 2, 2019) [1976]. "Spindletop Oilfield". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
Further reading
edit- Maroney, James C. (1977). "The Texas-Louisiana Oil Field Strike of 1917". In Fink, Gary M.; Reed, Merl E. (eds.). Essays in Southern Labor History: Selected Papers, Southern Labor History Conference, 1976. Contributions in Economics and Economic History No. 16. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 161–172. ISBN 978-0-8371-9528-5. LCCN 77000085. OCLC 3089054.
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