In the UK 1926 was the year of the General Strike and although the strikers lost out in the end the stoppage while it lasted was pretty near universal. Has the US ever experienced anything similar? If not have there ever been statewide strikes with many unions coming out in support of each other? Or did the unions never gain such a stranglehold over there as they did in the UK until the 80s?
I don’t think there was ever a nation-wide strike like the 1926 UK general strike. There were a few city-wide general strikes in the US, though: Saint Louis in 1877, New Orleans in 1892, Seattle in 1919, and Oakland in 1946. There was a major one in my (Canadian) hometown in 1919 as well.
The Great Uprising, AKA The Great Railroad Strike of 1877* embraced several cities (connected by railroads) and many groups besides the railroad workers. Probably the closest the US came to a General Strike:
http://home.earthlink.net/~trolleyfan/image_24.html
http://www.pathfinderpress.com/s.nl/it.A/id.848/.f
*not identical to the St. Louis Strike MikeS cites, which was part of it.The St. Louis strike was inspired by the start of the railroad strike, and grew to include other groups besides railroad workers and a virtual takeover of the city
The San Francisco general strike of 1934 begun by Harry Bridges after striking Longshoremen were fired upon July 5 (“Bloody Thursday”) is called
“the second and most widespread general strike in United States history.”
I’d not heard of this famous strike until recently, though the ILU still celebrates a special holiday on July 5.