Boston Police Essay, Research Paper

& # 8221 ; The Boston Police Were

Justified in Traveling Out on Strike in 1919 & # 8221 ;

The period after the Civil War was a clip when many concerns and corporations grew to a size where power was the key to success. Different companies would hold to vie with each other to remain on top of the fast expansion of industry. Many concerns and corporation grew so big that the mill proprietors did non care about the labourers themselves or there concerns, but how much clip and work they could out of them. Machines became so abundant in mills that they about took the topographic point of human workers. Child labour was besides an issue. Children, some every bit immature as six, were frequently employed as mill workers. This ignorance caused the growing of some labour brotherhoods. Labor brotherhoods were designed to back up and assist workers that were treated below the belt and were being controlled by the proprietors.

In the early 1900 s the Boston constabularies were ranked among the best jurisprudence enforcement groups in the universe. Underneath this repute of being one of the best in the universe, the constabulary section was holding some problem. Most of the constabulary Stationss were old and deteriorating. An officer would hold to many hours a hebdomad. The wage for most police officers were really low. While rising prices was in much affect the police officer s salary stayed the same. And the work forces were promised rises but ne’er saw much more than they had already made. The Boston metropolis police officers were really angry over these issues. Some police officers thought of fall ining a labour brotherhood. This would assist dicker for higher rewards and better working conditions. As a consequence of this & # 8221 ; menace & # 8221 ; of come ining a labour brotherhood, the commissioner of constabulary, Edward Curtis, told the work forces that no police officers were to fall in a brotherhood. After work forces decided to fall in the American Federation of Labor, Curtis decided to suspend those work forces. Leaderships of the brotherhood were angered by this action and told the commissioner non to penalize the work forces or else all brotherhood members would travel on work stoppage. Compromises were brought the Curtis, but none were accepted. Soon, a huge bulk of the constabulary section was on work stoppage. It did non take long for force in the streets to put in. Many voluntaries were put in the line of responsibility. Angry rabble ran the streets, and many newspapers ran articles such as, & # 8221 ; Riots in Boston & # 8221 ; , & # 8221 ; Terror Reigns in City & # 8221 ; . This was a shame to the metropolis of Boston. After eight deceases of 70 wounded, and thousand of dollars of harm done, the metropoliss order was eventually restored. The officers were given the rises that were requested and no longer hour angle

vitamin D to pay for at that place uniforms.

The constabulary Stationss were so old that they were infested with rats. These working conditions had to be improved. No police officer could work to there fullest potency in a topographic point where the rats chewed leather off of the police officer s helmets. The metropoliss authorities did perfectly nil to better these topographic points. This was non a topographic point where the people that maintain peace in the metropolis should hold had to work in.

Another ground for the Boston Police Department to strike was there really low rewards. Most policeman merely made 23 dollars a hebdomad. While some shipyard workers make 75 dollars to 100 dollars a hebdomad. The get downing wage for a police officer was 900 dollars a twelvemonth. And the most you could do after six old ages was 1400 dollars. Carpenters and street auto music directors made about twice that sum. The work forces besides had to pay 200 dollars a twelvemonth for uniforms. The work forces asked many times for rises, but when the rises were eventually anounced, most work forces received nil and depending on the old ages working at that place, they were merely given 100 to 200 dollars a twelvemonth rise. For the work forces that save lives, this sort of wage was hideous.

The long hours were besides an issue. The police officer would work ( depending on his responsibility ) 70 to 90 hours, seven yearss a hebdomad. Every two hebdomads he would hold a twenty-four hours off but could non go forth the metropolis without permission to. They would besides hold to maintain order in parades and non have any wage for the clip working. These work forces barely had clip to see there households.

Inflation was a important factor in the police officer s lives. With the same wage over many old ages, and rising prices ( which is the go oning rise in monetary values ) on the rise, the work forces could barely last with a household. During that clip the federal authorities said that 1,575 dollars a twelvemonth was the minimal necessary to back up a household of five. Very few officers made that much. Family life of most officers was being corrupted because the work forces s were non lifting with rising prices.

Therefore, the Boston constabularies were justified in traveling out on work stoppage against the commissioner. They were treated like animate beings that were at that place to maintain the repute of a good constabulary force. The rough on the job conditions, low rewards, broken promises, and highly high hours were all really good grounds for the workers to strike. This work stoppage sent a message out to all concerns stating them that they can non handle there workers like the Boston City constabularies officers were treated. If they did non strike, they would hold likely been working the same hours, for the same rewards good into the hereafter.