Downtown in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
William Green, Labor Leader
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The Columbus Streetcar Strike, 1910
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
1. William Green Labor Leader Marker
William Green
Labor Leader
A native of Coshocton County, William Green (1870-1932) began his working life as a coal miner at age 16 and rose rapidly in the leadership of the United Mine Workers of America. Twice elected to the Ohio Senate, Green served as president pro tempore during his second term. He was instrumental in enacting Ohio's first worker's compensation law in 1912, at a time when progressive-era ideals conflicted with an impersonal industrial system where workers enjoyed few rights and little security. Green, one of the outstanding American trade union leaders of the twentieth century, served as president of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 until his death in 1952.
The Columbus Streetcar Strike, 1910
In one of the most violent strikes against a public utility in the United States, members of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees (AASERE) struck the Columbus Railway and Light Company for higher wages and union recognition on April 29, 1910. Violence flared after the company fired several union employees, and escalated with the arrival of 450 guards and strikebreakers from Cleveland. For ten weeks, more than 200 streetcars were idled and 24 were destroyed. More than 100 strikebreakers were injured. In July, the National Guard restored peace,
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Erected 2003 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Columbus-Franklin County AFL-CIO, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 88-25.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1890.
Location. 39° 57.824′ N, 83° 0.361′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in Downtown. It is on Long Street (U.S. 33), on the right when traveling east. Marker is located in Battelle Riverfront Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43215, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: American Federation of Labor / United Mine Workers of America (here, next to this marker); Spanish War Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Big Branch Coal Mines Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Labor & Workers Memorial (within shouting
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
2. The Columbus Streetcar Strike, 1910 Marker Side
More about this marker. According to the list provided by the Ohio Historical Society, this should be marker 89-25.
Photographed by Craig Doda, June 24, 2022
3. William Green, Labor Leader / The Columbus Streetcar Strike, 1910 Marker
Photographed by Craig Doda, June 24, 2022
4. William Green, Labor Leader / The Columbus Streetcar Strike, 1910 Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,697 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 3, 4. submitted on July 3, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
