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The Growth of the American Labor Movement

The Growth of the American Labor Movement. The Changing American Labor Force. Child Labor. Child Labor. Labor Union Membership. Collective Bargaining.

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The Growth of the American Labor Movement

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  1. The Growth of the American Labor Movement

  2. The Changing American Labor Force

  3. Child Labor

  4. Child Labor

  5. Labor Union Membership

  6. Collective Bargaining • CB is a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions. • Unions represented the employee and the collective agreements reached by those negations usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms, and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.

  7. “Solidarity Forever!”by Ralph Chapin (1915) When the union's inspiration through the workers‘ blood shall run,There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun;Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one,But the union makes us strong! CHORUS:Solidarity forever,Solidarity forever,Solidarity forever,For the union makes us strong!

  8. “Solidarity Forever!” Is there aught we hold in common with the greedy parasite,Who would lash us into serfdom and would crush us with his might?Is there anything left to us but to organize and fight?For the union makes us strong! CHORUS:Solidarity forever,Solidarity forever,Solidarity forever,For the union makes us strong!

  9. “Solidarity Forever!” * * * *In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold,Greater than the might of armies, magnified a thousand-fold.We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the oldFor the union makes us strong! CHORUS:Solidarity forever,Solidarity forever,Solidarity forever,For the union makes us strong!

  10. The American Labor Movement:The Formative Years (1869-1894)

  11. Knights of Labor • 1869-1890s • Members: skilled & unskilled workers including African Americans & women, membership peaked at 730,000 in 1886 • Goals: 8 hour work day, equal pay for equal work, and restrictions on child labor • Wanted an alternative to industrial capitalism by creating a cooperative society (basically an early view of socialism) • Leadership hesitant to strike because workers usually lost, but rank & file often acted anyway • Membership fell off after leaders compromised too much Terrence Powderly (Former Mayor of Scranton, PA)

  12. American Federation of Labor • 1886 to present • Membership limited to white, male, skilled workers (1 million by 1901, 2.5 million by 1917) • Generally worked w/ craft unions (rather than w/ all workers at a single job site) • Pragmatic & opportunistic, pressed for concrete goals: higher wages, shorter hours, right to bargain collectively • Accepted industrial capitalism & wanted to work w/in the system Samuel Gompers

  13. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) • Founded 1905 by workers dissatisfied w/ AFL policies • Founders included “Big Bill Haywood, Eugene V. Debs • Organizes all workers: skilled & unskilled, immigrant & native, male & female, black or white • Aggressive tactics… not afraid to defy injunctions, break unjust laws, sometimes resorted to violence & sabotage • Socialist rhetoric of class conflict “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

  14. Congress of Industrial Organization • Founded in 1938 by John Lewis • The CIO was formed over disputes on how to organize the industrial workers. • Rather then focus on specific skills, they focused on all skills and allowed all kinds of members. • Strikes, boycotts, and negations were the methods of the CIO and took on big businesses. • Had a poor relationship with the AFL and actually took over many of their cases. They became much more successful in the 1930’s. • WWII slowed labor issues as the economy increased. In 1955 the AFL and CIO merged. John L. Lewis 1938-1952

  15. Labor Unrest: 1870-1900 Timeline of Labor Issues

  16. Management vs. Labor “Tools” of Management “Tools” of Labor • “scabs” • P. R. campaign • Pinkertons • lockout (didn’t let workers in to work) • blacklisting (workers were put on a list and couldn’t get a job) • yellow-dog contracts (no union membership) • court injunctions. • boycotts • sympathy demonstrations • informational picketing • closed shops (all employees had to join a union) • organized strikes • “wildcat” strikes

  17. A Striker Confronts a SCAB!

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