The Rise of Organized Labor

1. The Rise of Organized Labor USII.4e

2. Students are expected to . . . • Actively listen • Take notes on Highlighted Information • Participate in question and answers sessions • Most importantly, be able to figure out “the middle” (The Why)

3. Question: 1 • What is the importance of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

4. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

5. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911) -New York City -All doors were locked but one door which was blocked by the fire. -Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth floors were engulfed in flames, and the fire ladders were not long enough 150 people died As a result New York approved safety laws to help protect factory workers The Triangle Fire

7. The Tragedy • People were willing to jump several stories rather than burn to death

10. Women, Children, and Labor • By 1890’s, how many women worked in American factories? What type of factories did they work in? • How many children under the age of 15 worked in factories? How many hours did most work?

11. WOMEN By 1890, one million women worked in American factories Women worked in textile mills, tobacco factories, and the garment industry International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) Garment union formed in 1900 CHILDREN 2 million children under the age of 15 worked through out the country by 1900 Children worked in textile mills, coal mines, and sweatshops They worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week There was no time for school or education Women, Children, and Labor

12. Boys changing bobbins. Machine still running

13. Coal Miners

14. Fish Market

15. Labor Unions • What is a labor union? • Why would a labor union decide to strike?

16. Labor Unions • Labor: work • Union: the joining together of people of things • Labor Union: a group of workers who have joined together. • Goal: help get higher wages and better working conditions

17. Strikes • Strike: when workers refuse to work until their demands are met. • Companies tried to destroy unions and workers tried to prevent companies from doing business during a strike.

18. Knights of Labor • What were the major Goals of the Knights of Labor? • How did violent outbreaks affect labor unions?

19. Founded in 1869 Led by Terence Powderly Open to men, women, African Americans, whites, skilled and unskilled workers. Goals: 8 hour work day Equal pay for men and women An end to child labor Insurance Knights of Labor

20. The 1877 Railroad Strike • Eastern Railroad workers • Strike became violent, and the governor and President Hayes sent in troops. • Workers were injured and killed. • Train equipment was destroyed.

21. 1877 Railroad Strike Cont’d • Employers hired strikebreakers • Strikebreakers: workers hired to replace the striking workers • Strike ends • Many workers left the Knights of Labor. • First large, violent strike in the United States.

22. Radicals and Anarchists • Radicals: wanted to take the wealth away from business leaders and spread it among all people. • Anarchists: believed that the government just interferes with a person’s freedom. • Wanted to destroy the government • Some wanted to use violence

23. The Haymarket Riot • May 1886 • Chicago • Riot broke out • Police fired into a crowd of striking workers • The next day: • Anarchists called a meeting to complain • Haymarket Square • Police tried to break up the crowd, and a bomb was thrown at them • 7 officers killed, 67 others wounded

24. The Knights Collapse • Americans were stunned. • Unions were the cause of violence • Foreign anarchists • By 1900, the Knights of Labor were no longer powerful.

25. What was different about the AFL?

26. Founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers Made up of a group of trade unions. Trade Union: a group of skilled workers in the same trade. Strictly for skilled workers. Led the fight for collective bargaining Collective Bargaining: negotiating with management as a group Goals: Better hours Higher pay Better working conditions American Federation of Labor

27. What tactic did Henry Clay Frick and his AFL members use? • Was it successful?

28. The Homestead Steel Strikes • 1892-the AFL Iron and Steel Workers’ Union called a strike. • General manager Henry Clay Frick called for a lockout. • Hired strikebreakers and armored guards to protect them. • Strike continued for 5 months

29. Homestead Strike Cont’d • Fight broke out between the strikers and the factory guards. • Governor called state militia to stop the fight. • The union lost the strike

31. Public Attitude Changes • Triangle Shirtwaist Fire • New Factory safety laws • Public attitude changed • Forced legal change • Child Labor Laws • Safety inspections • Unlocked doors and fire escapes