Respuesta :
The infamous Boston Police Strike of 1919 begins, causing an
uproar around the nation and confirming the growing influence of unions
on American life. Using the situation to their advantage, criminals took
the opportunity to loot the city.
As society changed in the 20th century, police were expected to act
more professionally. Some of their previous practices were no longer
countenanced. Explanations such as that later given by the Dallas chief
of police in defense of their unorthodox tactics–“Illegality is
necessary to preserve legality”–was no longer acceptable to the public.
Police forces were brought within the civil service framework and even
received training for the first time. Soon, the American Federation of
Labor (AFL) began to create local police unions.
When the Boston Police went on strike on September 9, the country’s
leading newspapers sounded the alarm bells. Some falsely reported that
gangs were running wild and attacking women throughout the city. Others
saw it as evidence of the spread of communism. In actuality, the strike
prompted a lot of property damage but did not seriously endanger the
safety of the community-partly due to the quick response of the
government.
Calvin Coolidge, governor of Massachusetts at the time, called out
the militia to assist Harvard students and faculty who were acting as a
volunteer force. (He later used the incident to boost himself to the
presidency.) While the Boston Police Strike proved disastrous for unions
in the short term, police were eventually allowed to form unions.
However, it is illegal for police to go on strike, and even informal
work actions such as the “Blue Flu,” whereby large numbers of police
officers call in sick at the same time, are seriously discouraged.
