Labor Unions Form

Knights of Labor AFL- American Federation of Labor

Better PayBetter Working Conditions

Terrence V. Powderly

Shorter Hours

·men·women·African-Americans·unskilled laborers

·pushed for collective bargaining

·by 1904 over 1.6 Million members

Samuel Gompers

Child Labor

Cause: By 1900 Thousands of children under 16 are working

Effect: Child Labor Laws are Created

Had to be at least 12 years

old

Could not work more than 10 hours a day

Owners often ignore these laws!

Women Workers

by 1900- over 1,000,000 worked in

factories

received 1/2 the pay as

men

ILGWU- Internattional Ladies' Garment Workers Union·formed after a sweatshop fire in NYC killed 150 women

Mary Harris Jones " Mother Jones"- fought for labor rights for 50

years

Working Conditions Before Labor Unions

10- 12 Hour Workdays- 6 Days a

Week

Workers Easily FiredImmigrants would replace fired workers- they would

work for less $$

Unsafe & Unhealthy

steel workers were burned

coal miners died in "cave-ins"

textile workers damaged lungs- lint in the air

sweatshops- crowded factories that became firetraps

Results of Strikes in the late 1800's/ early 1900's

Strike Breakers Replace Striking Workers

Violence occurs

Injunctions are ordered

The government intervenes and brings in replacement workers

Major Strikes of the late 1800's

RR Strike of 1877- Workers were forced to take pay cuts and strike breakers were brought in to replace striking workers

Haymarket Riot of 1886- A bomb exploded after strikers were protesting the killing of 4 strikers-A police Officer is killed

Homestead Strike of 1892- Wages are cut and while on strike the replacement workers were protected by the state government.

Pullman Strike of 1894- Wages are cut and workers go on strike but the owners get an injunction to stop the strike.