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Michael J. Quill, Founding President, 1934-1966
Michael J. Quill, founder
of the Transport Workers Union of America in 1934, was
also its first International President. Born in the
village of Gortloughera in Kilgarvan, County Kerry, in
1905, Mike Quill was nurtured by the Irish revolt
against British occupation. Because of his involvement
with the rebellion, he had to leave his country and
travel to America where he found work building the IND
(Independent) subway in New York City. He held various
other jobs until becoming a changemaker on the IRT (Interborough
Rapid Transit). Times were tough and the 12-hour, 7 day
work week was all-too-common.
The new IRT employee prided himself on having worked
almost all of the change booths in the system and while
he did so, Mike Quill began to organize the workforce.
He was assisted by a talented group of transportation
workers, many of whom were Irish-born, Irish-Americans.
Some were quite radical, but all committed to the union
cause.
By 1935, Mike Quill began to agitate openly for the
union. He set up his soapbox at lunch hour at the
powerhouses or in the shops. It was the famous shopgate
meetings which helped make him a popular figure on the
transit property. He also appeared on radio in 1936 to
bring the union's message across to the widest audience.
Reflecting on those years, Mike Quill once recalled, "we
were no experts in the field of labor organization, but
we had something in common with our fellow workers -- we
were all poor -- we were all overworked -- we were all
victims of the 84 hour week. In fact, we were all so low
down on the economic and social ladder that we had
nowhere to go but up."
1966 N.Y. Transit Strike
What Mike Quill is probably most remembered for, is
his role in the 1966 transit strike in New York City.
New York transit had always been a political football
and in 1966 the issue of who was to pay for transit
funding loomed large. An ailing Mike Quill, weakened by
a series of heart attacks, would not be daunted by
politicians' pronouncements and editorial page attacks.
Called an "irresponsible demagogue" and "lawless
hooligan" by the press, he only wanted what was fair for
his members, even at the cost of a strike.
TWU had made its economic demands known in July 1965,
but negotiations dragged on with no movement by the
Transit Authority. At the top of TWU's list were wage
increases to make up for the rise in the cost of living
generated by the Vietnam War inflation.
In November 1965, John V. Lindsay was elected mayor.
Unlike his predecessor, Robert Wagner, he did not take
an active role in the negotiations. The TA pleaded
poverty and without any leadership from the Mayor, they
made no offers to the union. In fact, the Mayor-elect
decided to take a vacation in Puerto Rico.
As the clock ran down, the union made strike
preparations as it had so many times before.
Procrastination was nothing new to the transit managers.
Only this time, it appeared that the new mayor either
did not believe Mike Quill would make good on the strike
threat, or he thought he could beat the transit
employees down into submission. Whatever the motive, he
was wrong.
Drop Dead in His Black Robes
The new mayor showed up at the last minute on New
Year's Eve and the Transit Authority finally put a
package on the table. It was too little and it came too
late. On the morning of January 1, 1966, TWU members
finished their last runs and by 8:02 A M., the last
train had rolled into the terminal. No buses or subways
would run for 10 days.
On that first day, an injunction was issued to halt the
strike. In one of his dozens of press appearances, Mike
Quill tore up the injunction in front of the television
cameras. During the strike, 64 camera crews from all
over the world covered the event and its leader Mike
Quill. The four major networks kept their television
crews on call for 24 hours a day at the Americana Hotel
in case of a late-breaking event.
On the second day of the strike, TWU reduced its
economic demands. the TA made no response. In fact, the
only response was an arrest order issued by a judge for
violation of the injunction. Six TWU leaders and three
Amalgamated Transit Union leaders were to be arrested at
11 A.M. on January 4. Mike Quill responded: "The courts
may have their finest hours, but they'll not break us.
We will not settle for one penny less than our
objectives."
The next morning, Mike Quill walked into the Americana
Hotel ballroom to meet the press, mediators, and TWU
negotiators. Clearly, the strike was taking its toll on
the TWU leader but brazenly he announced: "The judge can
drop dead in his black robes. I don't care if I rot in
jail. I will not call off the strike."
Taken to jail, Mike Quill's condition worsened and he
was rushed to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. Arrested
along with him were International Secretary Treasurer
Matthew Guinan, International Vice President Frank
Sheehan, Local 100 President Daniel Gilmartin, Local 100
Secretary Treasurer Ellis Van Riper, Local 100 Recording
Secretary Mark Kavanagh, and ATU officers John Rowland,
William Mangus, and Frank Kleess.
TWU's second line of leaders, headed by
Secretary-Treasurer Doug MacMahon, stepped in to head
the strike efforts. Negotiations continued and on
January 10, City Hall witnessed a massive labor
demonstration of 15,000 pickets. Joining the TWU
strikers were members from other TWU locals and other
New York trade unions. The next day brought movement
from both assisted by the mediators. At 1:37 A.M. on
January 13, Doug MacMahon announced that the union was
recommending settlement. Mike Quill listened to the
announcement of the settlement from his room in the
hospital.
The package was worth over $60 million and included
raises which would increase wages from $3.18 to $4.14 an
hour. Included was another paid holiday, increased
pension benefits, and other gains. But the cost of the
strike could not be measured in dollar amounts. Mike
Quill had been transferred to Mt. Sinai Medical Hospital
for further care and was finally released three weeks
after his jailing. He addressed his last press
conference in the Americana hotel ballroom that day. At
night he celebrated victory in a speech to thousands of
TWU stewards, the troops who helped pull off the
successful strike.
Death took the founder and builder of the TWU on January
28, 1966. The TWU EXPRESS reported that month:
Mike Quill "did not hesitate or equivocate. He died as
he lived fighting the good fight for TWU and its
members."
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