1966 NYC Transit Workers Strike

NYC Transit Workers Strike was the 1st strike of its kind in NYC, shutting down the subway for 12 days. The twelve-day strike began on New Year's Day; the last trains rolled at 8:02 am. An injunction to end the strike was issued later that day, under the 1947 Condon-Wadlin Act. On January 2, the union reduced its economic demands, but the TA responded only by getting a judge's order for the arrest of Quill and eight other union leaders. The arrests were set for 1 a.m. on January 4.

The strike started January 1, the day of Mayor John Lindsay's inauguration. "It is an act of defiance against 8 million people," Lindsay said at the time.

On January 10, 15,000 workers picketed City Hall. Negotiations moved forward through mediators, with movement from both sides. At 1:37 A.M. on January 13, MacMahon announced that the union was recommending settlement.

The package, worth over $60 million, included wages increases from $3.18 to $4.14 an hour, an additional paid holiday, increased pension benefits, and other gains. Gains averaged nine percent for the next eight years. The leader and instigator - Transport Workers Union Local 100 Chief Mike Quill , already in ill health at the time of the arrest, died on January 28.

And other workers looked at this realized ir kind of works. This strike promoted unionization and was followed by a number of other very big strikes.