Main Event

By July 20th 1899, newsboys in Long Island City had had enough: they were fed up with Hearst and Pulitzers price increase, and they decided to go on strike. Their demand was that the wholesale price of a bundle of 100 newspapers be reverted to the original price of 50 cents. The day after the Long Island City newsboys went on strike, newsboys from Manhattan and Brooklyn also went on strike. In the early days of the strike the newsboys used violence against anyone selling the protested papers. After a momentous rally at Irving Hall, sponsored by state senator Timothy Sullivan, which included an estimated 7000 newsboys, the newsboys switched to largely non-violent tactics. The newsboys quickly gained the support of the general public because they had a sympathetic story that smaller rival newspapers to Hearst and Pullizer printed. This story was amplified as hardly anyone was selling the protested papers at that moment so sales of the smaller papers increased during the strike. By August 2nd the newsboys accepted a buy back deal, wherein newsboys could sell back any unsold papers but the 60 cents per 100 wholesale price would remain unchanged. After their triumph over the newspaper companies, led by Hearst and Pulitzer, due to their solidarity and communication, the newsboys disbanded their union and returned to work. ​​​​​​​