Workers from the Twin City Rapid Transit Company formed a union to push for higher wages in October 1917, but the company refused to recognize the union and fired several union leaders. The workers went on strike and the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety stepped in to prevent the strike from spreading. Unrest continued through the end of 1917, until President Wilson's administration intervened. The company chose not to follow the orders of Wilson's commission to rehire all the union workers. The strike was not officially broken until Octobe 1918. 

Strikes and labor conflicts were not unusual during World War I. Union membership grew and thousands of workers went on strike throughout the country, but companies and government officials questioned the loyalty of striking workers. Labor unrest continued to grow after the war.