Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Report about 1979-1980 strike at Evans Railcar in Washington |
Object Name |
Report |
Catalog Number |
2024.0073 |
People |
McLin, Larry F. McLin, William Kent Pickett, John Wildman, John |
Date |
2024 |
Scope & Content |
June 25, 2024 report written by Larry McLin about the 1979-1980 strike by union employees at U.S. Railway Equipment Co. Division of Evans Transportation Co. (Evans Railcar) in Washington, Indiana. The union contract expired on November 8, 1979. Union/management negotiations broke down and violence against company property and the plant supervisor and manager started February 16, 1980. On March 10, 1980 the company hired 32 replacement workers, called "scabs" by the striking union members. The violence escalated and Governor Otis R. Bowen ordered 50 riot-trained policeman into Washington to assist the City and County police in controlling the situation. Mr.McLin, the author of this report, was the plant engineer at Evans Railcar at the time of the strike. A contract was signed on June 8, 1980. Because of the long strike, Evans Railcar lost many of its contracts for repairing or building railcars and production declined. The plant closed in August 1982 and all of the union workers were laid off. Eventually the salaried employees were let go. Before the strike, at the peak of production, there were 350 union employees and 40 salaried personnel. |
Search Terms |
Evans Railcar |