Editing Amalgamated Transit Union (section)

==History==
The union was founded in 1892 as the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America. The union has its origins in a meeting of the [[American Federation of Labor]] in 1891 at which president [[Samuel Gompers]] was asked to invite the local street railway associations to form an international union. Gompers sent a letter to the local street railway unions in April 1892, and based on the positive response arranged for a convention of street railway workers.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=121}} The convention began on September 12, 1892, in Indianapolis, Indiana, attended by fifty delegates from twenty-two locals. Many of the smaller unions were affiliated with the AFL, while four larger locals were affiliated with the [[Knights of Labor]] and two were independent.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=122}}

The first president was William J. Law from the AFL-affiliated local in Detroit.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=122}} Detroit was chosen as the headquarters, using the same facilities as the Detroit local.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=123}} Because the number of members affiliated with the [[Knights of Labor]] was greater than the numbers affiliated with the AFL, according to the claims of the delegates, the new international remained unaffiliated despite pleas by Gompers.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=123}} The objectives included education, settlement of disputes with management, and securing good pay and working conditions. The international was given considerable authority over the locals.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=124}}

The second convention was held in Cleveland in October 1893, with just fifteen divisions represented by about twenty delegates.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=129}} At this meeting [[William D. Mahon]] was named president, and he still held this position in 1937. By then the union had been renamed the Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=121}} The union struggled in the early years as the transit companies followed the practice of firing union activists. In the 1897 meeting in Dayton, Ohio, there were twenty delegates. The treasury of the union now had $4,008.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=141}} An early achievement was to have laws passed in a dozen states by 1899 that mandated enclosed vestibules for the motormen. Wages were close to $2 a day where the union was established, and in Detroit and Worcester the nine-hour day had been achieved, although in most cities ten- or eleven-hour days were common.{{sfn|Schmidt|1937|p=142}}

At the start of the 20th century the Amalgamated Association launched a militant organizing program. Although the union was always willing to arbitrate in disputes, there were many strikes against the streetcar companies. Often these turned violent, as in [[St. Louis streetcar strike of 1900|St. Louis in 1900]] or [[Denver streetcar strike of 1920|Denver in 1920]]. The public and small businesses sympathized with the strikers, and passengers and other unions often became involved in the street actions.{{sfn|Molloy|2007|p=3}} When buses began to replace streetcars, the association began to be challenged by the [[International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers]]. It was agreed that the Amalgamated Association would have jurisdiction over buses operated by street railway companies, while the Teamsters would have jurisdiction over independent bus lines and over road transportation of goods.{{sfn|Stewart|1936|p=242}}