MARCH OF THE 45,000 (1986)

During the 1877 Railroad Strike, the original1865 Union station on the site was burned to the ground. Its name referenced the connection between the Pennsylvania Railroad and western subsidiaries connecting to Chicago and Cincinnati; no tribute to labor organization intended. The passenger station was only rebuilt in 1903 as corporate control was tightened on the city. A grandiose rotunda where taxis and buses dropped passengers marks the building’s exterior. Its interior of marble, brass, wood and stained glass reflected the wealth and renewed confidence of triumphant corporate Pittsburgh. With the bankruptcy of the Penn Central in the 1970s, a smaller passenger facility was constructed behind the station to accommodate Amtrak.

The majestic station deteriorated steadily until the mid-1980s when plans were unveiled to convert the building to luxury apartments, called The Pennsylvanian. Collapse of local industries in the 1980 allowed non-union contractors to aggressively expand using the unemployed to drive down regional wages. Union contractors struggled and skilled craftsmen faced unemployment. Learning that renovations would employ non-union labor, the Pittsburgh Building Trades Council called for a demonstration in early November 1986. Construction sites emptied out from Erie to West Virginia. An estimated 45,000 workers in work clothes and boots arrived by 7a.m. in the Golden Triangle filling available parking, effectively shutting the city. Workers marched a triangle route around Grant St., Liberty Avenue, and Boulevard of the Allies – a mighty human current – peaceful, disciplined, and chanting: “Who built America? The workers. The workers! Who won the wars? The workers! The workers!”

Former Pennsylvania Railroad building (now Penn Station),1100 Liberty Ave.