November 1 - Deadly Consequences of Scabbing

Labor History in 2:00 · Nov 1, 2026 · 1m

On this day in Labor History the year was 1918.

That was the day that bringing in a scab driver to run an elevated train in Brooklyn, New York ended in tragedy.

Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers were out on strike against the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Co..

The company had fired several union members for wearing union pins.

To keep the trains moving, the company hired replacements and put them to work with little preparation.

Edward Luciano received far less than the 60 hours of training that operators typically received before he made his fateful run.

The next day the New York…