The Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 is a labor union strike against the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads involving more than 200,000 workers.
In March 1886, railroad workers in the Southwest United States conduct an unsuccessful strike against railroads owned by Jay Gould, one of the most ruthless industrialists of the day.
The failure of the strike leads directly to the collapse of the Knights of Labor and the formation of the American Federation of Labor.
