Running the Rails: Capital and Labor in the Philadelphia Transit Industry

Philadelphia exploded in violence in 1910. The general strike that year was a notable point, but not a unique one, in a generations-long history of conflict between the workers and management at one of the nations largest privately owned transit systems. In Running the Rails, James Wolfinger uses the history of Philadelphias sprawling public transportation system to explore how labor relations shifted from the 1880s to the 1960s. As transit workers adapted to fast-paced technological innovation to keep the citys people and commerce on the move, management sought to limit its employees rights. Raw violence, welfare capitalism, race-baiting, and smear campaigns against unions were among the strategies managers used to control the companys labor force and enhance corporate profits, often at the expense of the workers and the citys well-being.

Public service workers and their unions come under frequent attack for being a special interest or a hindrance to the smooth functioning of society. This book offers readers a different, historically grounded way of thinking about the people who keep their cities running. Working in public transit is a difficult job now, as it was a century ago. The benefits and decent wages Philadelphia public transit workers securedadvances that were hard-won and well deservedcame as a result of fighting for decades against their exploitation. Given capitals great power in American society and management's enduring quest to control its workforce, it is remarkable to see how much Philadelphias transit workers achieved.