On this day in labor history, the year was 1917
That was the day the United States Supreme Court upheld the Adamson Act.
The Act had initially been passed and signed into law the previous September to avoid a nationwide railway strike.
It established the eight-hour day and overtime pay for interstate railroad workers.
The four railroad brotherhoods--the Engineers, Fireman, Brakemen and Conductors had been pushing for these terms since at least 1915.
When the railroads refused to budge, the unions prepared to strike.
It was the first federal law that sought to determine minimum wages and maximum hours for private industry.
The railroads were furious with President Woodrow Wilson for demanding quick passage of the law.
They filed the case, Wilson v. New, which challenged the constitutionality of the Act.
The railroads refused to abide by the new law while they waited for their case to be heard, ultimately by the Supreme Court.
The four railroad brotherhoods grew tired of waiting and organized for another strike.
The Court rejected the railroad’s claims and upheld the Act.
President Wilson had hoped to ensure labor peace, as the United States was on the cusp of entering World War I.
Seen as a powerful victory for the unions, other railway employees pressed for similar demands.
When the industry looked as though it was headed for yet another strike, President Wilson exercised the Army Appropriations Act and issued an executive order at the end of 1917 that placed the railroads under federal control.
This nationalized the railroad industry into three divisions under the newly established United States Railroad Administration between the years 1917 and 1920.
March 18 - Wartime Workers Betrayed
March 17 - The Hoggs Hollow Tragedy
March 16 - Big Bill Haywood Talks General Strike
March 15 - The Grapes of Wrath Opens in Theaters
March 14 - Remembering Walter Crane
March 13 - Ending Jim Crow on the Job
March 12 - OSHA Safety Incentives
March 11 - Raising Conditions for an Industry
March 10 - Radium Girls
March 9 - Striking the Mines
March 8 - IBEW Strikes to Win
March 7 - Work Faster! Work Faster!
March 6 - International Unemployed Day
March 5 -Lordstown Syndrome
March 4 - Mismanagement Kills an Airline
March 3 - Wildcat Strikes Hit Chrysler and Briggs
March 2 - Greyhound Bus Strike Begins
March 1 - The Hoover Dam Goes Public
February 28 - Fighting for Equal Pay
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