Peter M. Arthur

Peter M. Arthur
Peter M. Arthur
Born	Peter McArthur 1831 (1831) Paisley, Scotland
Died	17 July 1903 (1903-07-18) (aged 71)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Trade union functionary
Known for	Grand Chief Engineer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers

Peter M. Arthur (1831 - 17 July 1903) was a Scottish immigrant to the United States who was leader of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) for many years.

Peter McArthur was born in 1831 in Paisley, Scotland (he would change his name to Peter M. Arthur later in life). In 1842 he emigrated to the United States with his uncle, at first helping on a farm in New York State. He learned the blacksmith and machinist trades. In 1849 he became a railroad worker, and was later promoted to engineer on the New York Central Railroad. He was one of the early members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, which was founded in May 1863, and quickly rose through the ranks.

In 1863 the Pennsylvania Railroad ordered a reduction of pay, and the engineers walked off the job. The BLE leader Charles Wilson publicly criticized the strike action. The Brotherhood called a special meeting in Cleveland on 25 February 1874. The founder of the BLE, William D. Robinson, made a spirited speech vindicating the strikers. Charles Wilson was forced to resign and Arthur was elected Grand Chief Engineer.

In 1875 Arthur negotiated the first contract between a union and a railroad with the New York Central Railroad of William Henry Vanderbilt. The contract included a guaranteed daily wage. In 1876 the BLE was involved in an unsuccessful strike against the Boston and Maine Railroad. The next year Arthur and the BLE had to deal with the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, in which the BLE allied itself with the Workingmen's Party of the United States. After the collapse of that effort, the BLE became a more restricted organization. Members had to be white, literate, 21 or older and experienced engineers, and from 1885 could not belong to other labor organizations. By 1887 the BLE had over 25,000 members, and in the 1880s negotiated contracts with more than 100 railroads. The BLE set up exemplary employee benefit and insurance plans.