During WW II, gasoline and tires were tightly rationed and most people
depended on public transportation to get to work.  Due to the war effort,
absence from work was greatly discouraged.

In Philadelphia, a major war materiel production center, the transit workers
staged a wildcat strike on account of the recruitment of African American
motorman and conductors; previously those positions were all white.  This
caused a major disruption in 
the city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_transit_strike_of_1944

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