Before the President took to the radio, the wildcat strike of railroad switchmen and yardmen threatened to be one of the ugliest in U.S. history. It was timed cunningly, to put the best face on it. The strikers were out to delay a maximum of Christmas mail and hold up deliveries to Korea, thus win higher pay. The strike started in Chicago, where 8,500 members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen reported "sick" and refused to work. Within 24 hours, 50,000 trainmen were idle in ten U.S. cities, and traffic was snarled on 30 of the nation's railroads.
In silent...
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