The Rise of Labor Unions

Child LaborChild Labor

Child LaborChild Labor

“Galley Labor”“Galley Labor”

The Corporate “Bully-Boys”:

PinkertonAgents

The Corporate “Bully-Boys”:

PinkertonAgents

Management vs. Labor

Management vs. Labor

““Tools” of Tools” of ManagementManagement

““Tools” of Tools” of LaborLabor

““scabs”scabs”

P. R. campaignP. R. campaign

PinkertonsPinkertons

lockoutlockout

blacklistingblacklisting

yellow-dog yellow-dog contractscontracts

court injunctionscourt injunctions

open shopopen shop

boycottsboycotts

sympathy sympathy demonstrationdemonstrationss

informational informational picketingpicketing

closed shopsclosed shops

organized organized strikesstrikes

““wildcat” wildcat” strikesstrikes

Labor Unions

• What did they do?

• Why were they needed?

• What is a closed shop?

Knights of LaborKnights of Labor

Terence V. Terence V. PowderlyPowderly

An injury to one is the concern of An injury to one is the concern of all!all!

Knights of Labor

• founded~1869

• Important person ~Terence Powerly

• Who were they representing?

~Skilled and unskilled workers 1886 – 700,000 Workers

Goals of the Knights of Labor

Goals of the Knights of Laborù Eight-hour workday.Eight-hour workday.

ù Workers’ cooperatives.Workers’ cooperatives.

ù Worker-owned factories.Worker-owned factories.

ù Abolition of child and prison Abolition of child and prison labor.labor.

ù Increased circulation of Increased circulation of greenbacks.greenbacks.

ù Equal pay for men and women.Equal pay for men and women.

ù Safety codes in the workplace.Safety codes in the workplace.

ù Prohibition of contract foreign Prohibition of contract foreign labor.labor.

ù Abolition of the National Bank.Abolition of the National Bank.

• What did they try to accomplish?

~1st important labor organization

• Demands

~8hr day, end child labor, equal pay for equal work, safety codes, graduated income tax

American Federation of Labor

• founded

~1886• important person

~ Samuel Gompers• Who were they

representing? ~Craft union, separate union for every skill, Excluded African Americans

How the AF of L Would Help the

Workers

How the AF of L Would Help the

Workersù Catered to the skilled worker.Catered to the skilled worker.

ù Represented workers in matters of Represented workers in matters of national legislation.national legislation.

ù Maintained a national strike fund.Maintained a national strike fund.

ù Evangelized the cause of unionism.Evangelized the cause of unionism.

ù Prevented disputes among the Prevented disputes among the many craft unions.many craft unions.

ù Mediated disputes between Mediated disputes between management and labor.management and labor.

ù Pushed for Pushed for closed shopsclosed shops..

• What did they try to accomplish?

~ Working conditions, pay and control over jobs, later merged with the CIO

(Congress of Industrial Organizations)

• Why did this union last?

American Railway Union

• founded

~1893• Important people

~Eugene V. Debs (Socialist)

• Who were they representing?

~All railway workers, regardless of craft or

service

• What did they try to accomplish?

~Workers’ wages

~Was the largest union of its time

~The first industrial union in the United States

(Didn’t last because of its leaders)

Industrial Workers of the World

• When it was founded

~1905• Important people

~Big Bill Haywood

~Other socialists

• Who were they representing?

~The Wobblies believed that all workers should organize as a class

• What did they try to accomplish?

~Worker solidarity in the revolutionary struggle to overthrow the employing class

• Wanted to bring about a change in society! Communism

Strikes• Scabs, Blacklisted

What was the purpose?

What did people risk?

Great Upheaval

• When it occurred1886• Where it occurredThroughout the U.S.Identify the labor union and

people involved1,500 strikes400,000 WorkersWhy were they striking?Better wagesBetter working conditionsResults of the strikeViolence

Haymarket Riot (1886)

• When it occurred

4 May 1886

Where it occurred

Chicago

Identify the labor union and people involved

40,000 Chicago workers

Anarchists

Why were they striking?

8hr day McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

• Results of the strikeUnknown person threw a bomb at policeViolenceAt least fifty dead or wounded civilians lay in the

streets60 officers lay wounded7 dead8 anarchists found guilty of murder4 hanged1 committed suicide, later the rest were pardoned

Homestead Strike

• When it occurred~1892

• Where it occurred~Homestead, Pennsylvania

• Identify the labor union and people involved~Amalgamated Association of Iron and

Steel Workers (the AA, formed in 1876)~Henry Clay Frick – Carnegie Steel Company

Homestead Steel Strike

(1892)

Homestead Steel Strike

(1892)

The Amalgamated The Amalgamated Association of Association of

Iron & Steel WorkersIron & Steel Workers

Homestead Homestead Steel WorksSteel Works

• Why were they striking?

~Protest a wage cut and working conditions

• Results of the strike

~Replacement workers hired

~Broke the union

Pullman Strike

• When it occurred

~1894• Where it occurred

~Pullman, Illinois • Identify the labor union

and people involved

~George Pullman~Eugene Debs

~ARU – American Railway Union

A “Compa

nyTown”:

Pullman, IL

A “Compa

nyTown”:

Pullman, IL

Pullman CarsPullman Cars

A Pullman A Pullman porterporter

The Pullman Strike of 1894

The Pullman Strike of 1894

President Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland

If it takes the entire army and navy to If it takes the entire army and navy to deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card

will be delivered!will be delivered!

The Pullman Strike of 1894

The Pullman Strike of 1894

Government by injunction!Government by injunction!

The SocialistsThe Socialists

Eugene V. DebsEugene V. Debs

• Why were they striking?

~Protesting cut wages, but still had to pay same prices for rents and prices at

company stores

• Results of the strike

Government ordered end to strike

President Cleveland ordered in troops

Strike broken and ARU destroyed

Boston Strike

• When it occurred1919• Where it occurredBoston• Identify the labor

union and people involved

Police Commissioner Edwin Curtis

Gov. Calvin Coolidge

• Why were they striking?

Poor working conditions – 12 hour shifts

Stagnant wages were paid $1,600 wanted $2,000

Police wanted to unionize (AFL)

Voted 1,134 to 2 to strike

• Results of the strike

~Riots and looting throughout the city

~Coolidge sent in the national guard

~The Police who struck were fired

~New officers were hired and given higher wages, more vacation days,

city-provided uniforms – what the strikers wanted

~Police won’t unionize until after WWII