Chapter 8 Washington’s Workers

1. Chapter 8 Washington’s Workers Define the term UNION. -an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interest of its members Have there ever been union strikes in your area? If so, what were the causes of the dispute? What was the outcome for workers and management? Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) championed the concept of ___One Big Union___, which meant __joining together of smaller unions for more power______. Unlike other unions, IWW welcomed __women and African Americans__. Called _Wobblies___, they didn’t want progressive, systematic reform, but rather they wanted __radical__ change. Many of the IWW pamphlets focused on the idea of _sabotage____, which means the destruction of company materials to prevent business from taking place. Unfortunately, the Wobblies received more violence than they ever started. One such examples of this was the _Everett Massacre___.

2. World War I What were the two sides of World War I? V. Which countries fought on each side? V. Why did the Wobblies (IWW) oppose the war? -claimed the war was being fought to enrich big business who supplied war materials, not to make the world safe for democracy Explain the Sedition Act. -Congress made laws to suppress criticism of the war. The act prohibited a any speech that was “disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government, flag, Constitution or armed forces. Central Powers Allied Powers England, France, Italy, Russia, U.S. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey

3. Economic Boom from WWI How did the war help Washington’s economy? Who was able to work in the absence of men, who had left for war? The war created many new jobs (shipbuilding, plane building, lumber production, agriculture). Immigrants, seniors, minorities, women Which Washington company became Washington’s largest industry? Boeing What happened to the state economy after the war? Explain how supply and demand was a factor. Sharp collapse b/c war materials were no longer needed Too much food = decrease in price No need for as many workers= unemployment Too much lumber = decrease in price Explain what happened during the Seattle General Strike. Shipyard workers went on strike to protest wages owed (had been suspended during the war) Many unions went on strike in the city for the same reason  City almost shutdown Why did Americans think that strikers might be part of a communist takeover? Struggle between the rich and the poor. Revolution – Lenin est. communist govt. in Russia to create “equality” and this led to The Red Scare in U.S. Therefore, many thought that union strikers wanted communism