The Great Strike on the "Q"

"The Great Strike on the 'Q'" by John A. Hall is a reflective look at the late 1800s labor movement. The book highlights the plight of locomotive engineers, firemen, and switchmen on the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad as they fight against corporate exploitation. It traces how unfair wages and workplace conditions led to the rise of labor organizations. From the initial formation of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in the 1860s, spurred by mistreatment from railroad officials, to the boiling point where committees organized in response to ongoing injustices, the book shows the workers' resolve while signaling a pivotal moment in American labor history.