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Chapter 14 Industrialization. Section 4 Unions. Working in the United States. B/w 1865 & 1897, the U.S. experienced deflation , or a rise in the value of money. Relations b/w workers & employers were difficult. Deflation caused prices to fall and companies to cut wages.
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Chapter 14Industrialization Section 4 Unions
Working in the United States • B/w 1865 & 1897, the U.S. experienced deflation, or a rise in the value of money. • Relations b/w workers & employers were difficult. • Deflation caused prices to fall and companies to cut wages. • Worker felt the only way to improve this was to form unions.
Working in the United States • Workers faced: • Monotonous work • Dangerous conditions • Uneven division of income b/w wealthy & working class.
Early Unions • Two types of workers in industrial America: • Craft workers – had special skills and paid more. • Common laborers – had few skills and received lower wages.
Early Unions • 1830s – craft workers formed trade unions, which were limited to people with specific skills. • By 1873 – 32 trade unions in the U.S. • Largest & most successful were: • Iron Molders’ International Union • International Typographical Union • Knights of St. Crispin
Industry Opposes Union • Employers opposed industrial unions, which united all craft workers and common laborers in a particular industry. • Companies began to have workers take oaths or sign contracts promising not to join a union. • They would also hire detectives to identify union organizers.
Industry Opposes Unions • Workers who organized a union or strike were fired and put on a blacklist. • Once blacklisted, a worker could get a job only by changing trade, residence, or name.
Industry Opposes Unions • If a union was formed, companies used a lockout to break it. • Workers went without pay and were locked out of the property. • If the union did strike, employers would hire strikebreakers, also known as scabs.
Marxism, the ideas of Karl Marx, was popular in Europe. Marx felt it was the class struggle b/w workers & owners that shaped society. He believed workers would revolt and gain control. Political and Social Opposition
Political and Social Opposition • After a revolution, Marx believed a socialist society would be created in which the wealth was evenly divided, and classes would no longer exist. • Many labor supporters agreed, and some supported anarchism.
Political and Social Opposition • Ideas of Marxism and anarchism spread throughout Europe. • Tens of thousands of immigrants arrived in the U.S. • People began to asociate Marxism and anarchism with immigrants, and became suspicious of unions as well.
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 • 1873 – sever recession forced many companies to cut wages. • Resulted in the 1st nationwide labor protest in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as workers walked off their job and blocked tracks. • Included 80,000 workers in 11 states.
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 • Violence erupted • President Hayes ordered the army to stop the strike. • 100 people died and millions of dollars in property were lost.
Knights of Labor • Failure of the RR strike showed a need for better organized laborers. • Knights of Labor became the 1st nationwide industrialized union. • Supported arbitration, process where an impartial 3rd party helps mediate b/w workers and management.
Knights of Labor • Demands: • 8 hour workday • Gov’t bureau of labor statistics • Equal pay for women • End to child labor • Worker-owned factories
Haymarket Riot • Haymarket Riot – 1886 – undermined the Knights’ reputation, and the union rapidly declined. • Strike was called to show support for the 8 hour workday. One striker was killed. • Next evening a meeting was called to protest the killing.
Haymarket Riot • During the protest, someone threw a bomb. • In the end, 7 police and 4 workers were killed. • One man was arrested from the Knights of Labor. • This hurt their reputation and people started dropping out.
The Pullman Strike • 1893 – RR workers created the American Railway Union (ARU). • They unionized the Pullman Palace Car Company in Illinois. • After the company cut wages, the workers went on strike. • It tied up the RR’s and threatened the economy.
The Pullman Strike • To end the boycott, U.S. mail cars were attached to Pullman cars. • Refusing to handle a Pullman car would result in a violation of federal law. • After an injunction, or formal court order, stopped the boycott, the strike and the ARU ended.
American Federation of Labor • 1886 – delegates from over 20 of the nation’s trade unions organized the AFL. • 1st leader was Samuel Gompers. • Goals: • Get companies to recognize unions & agree to collective bargaining. • Push for closed shops – only hire union members. • 8 hour workdays
By 1900 the AFL had over 500,000 members. The majority of workers were still unorganized. AFL *Don’t Write*
Working Women • By 1900 women made up more than 18% of the labor force. • Most unions excluded women.
Women’s Trade Union League • WTUL was the 1st national association dedicated to promoting women’s labor issues. • Set up by Mary Kenney O’Sullivan & Leonora O’Reilly.
End of Section 4 Next: TEST #2
