long hours, horrible working conditions, low pay, wage cuts, no safety, company towns

1. How can workers improve their condition? long hours, horrible working conditions, low pay, wage cuts, no safety, company towns

2. A single worker cannot improve working conditions alone • Workers began to unite to protect themselves against management’s abuses. As business had combined to protect against competition, so…

3. Craft Unions Since 1700s – focused only for its members interests – each separate craft teamsters, printers, silversmiths, etc. Skilled workers with an apprenticeship No unity among the unions

4. Growth of unions – 1800s – 1900s • Labor leaders organizing workers had to: • Persuade members of different craft unions to cooperate • Organize the rapidly growing numbers of unskilled industrial workers into new labor union • 1st = labor organizers planned political moves –1860s-1870s = most labor unions avoided economic pressures, strikes considered inappropriate

5. Unions by 1910 Industrial Unions develop 8.3% of industrial workers were in the unions • National Labor Union (NLU) • American Railway Union (ARU) • Knights of Labor • Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies) These unions competed with the more powerful craft unions especially the American Federation of Labor (AFL)

6. Knights of Labor 1869-1890s Type: organization of individuals not separate local unions Leaders: Uriah Stephens & Powderly Membership: skilled & unskilled 1866= 700,000 (60,000 blacks)1890= @100,000 mostly in West Goals: 8 hr/day No child, convict labor Health/safety laws = pay for = work (men/women) Government ownership RR, telegraph, telephone End use of Pinkertons & National Guards Initiative and referendum at state levels

7. Knights of Labor Tactics: • Arbitration • Political activity • Education • Strike only as last resort Accomplishments: 1877 RR workers won against Gould RR Fired workers rehired Decline: connected to Haymarket Affair – turned public against Knights During 1890s AFL wooed skilled members with goals that were winnable

8. American Federation of Labor – 1881-present • Type: national craft union – each local union self-governing, all loosely federated to national union • Leaders: Samuel Gompers (British immigrant) 1885-1924 • Membership: skilled only 1886 = 150,000 1897 = 447,000 limited # of women and blacks • Goals: • Higher wages • Shorter hours • Better working conditions • Right to collectively baragin Bread and butter unionism

9. AFL Decline: leadership did not always support strikes(ex:1892 Homestead) Mechanization replaced skilled workers Less than 1/3 workforce so success was limited Tactics: • Avoided political activity • Collective bargaining • Strike when necessary Leaders often went along with management Accomplishments: Wage increase – 1890-1915 went from $17.57/week to $23.98 /wk Average work week reduced 5.5 hours

10. Industrial Workers of World – Wobblies = 1905-1919 • Type: industrial union 13 divisions (factory based) • Leaders: “Big Bill” Haywood, Eugene Debs, Mother Jones, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn • Membership: Any workers 1905= 8,000 1913 = 150,000 • Goals: • Complete the American Revolution • Democracy to workers • Overthrow capitalist system/workers run factories • Abolish wage system, redistribute wealth

11. Wobblies / IWW Decline: AFL worked against IWW Leadership would leave after strike Bad reputation Federal Government passed laws against advocating violence IWW protested US business in WWI = deported Tactics: • Education • Songs for solidarity • Civil disobedience • Sabotage • Strike Accomplishments: 1912 Lawrence Strike Proved that the unskilled could be organized Songs

13. Lawrence Strike

14. Strike – March

15. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

16. Hay Market Riot