1892 WANTED REWARD POSTER New Orleans Union Strike Committee On Stragglers

Description

This is an interesting piece of Union history. This is a reward poster put out by the Committee on Stragglers during the massive Union strike in New Orleans in 1892. In the Reward Poster they are looking for Eugene Webb who recently arrived in the city from New York. His description was as follows “pronounced blond, with musical tendencies; is about 5 feet high and weighs 300 pound” (someone 5’ tall and 300 lbs should not be hard to find).
“The “Committee on Stragglers” was established in New Orleans during the 1892 General Strike, a significant labor movement involving over 20,000 workers from various unions. This committee was part of the larger efforts by the Workingmen’s Amalgamated Council, which represented the interests of the striking workers. The strike was notable for its interracial cooperation, with both Black and white workers participating despite efforts by employers to create racial divisions.”
“The primary role of the Committee on Stragglers was to monitor the strike participants, identify those who were not fully committed to the strike (referred to as “stragglers”), and take steps to ensure their compliance. This often involved patrolling the streets to prevent workers from returning to their jobs and thereby weakening the strike’s effectiveness. The committee played a crucial role in maintaining solidarity and preventing the employers from breaking the strike through the use of strikebreakers and other means.”
The 6” x 9” poster is in fair shape. It has creases from being folded, some small rips around the edges, and a hole near the upper left corner (see photos). It has also been glued to something in the past as you can see in the photo of the reverse side.