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. 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.

Political and Social Opposition 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 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 – sever recession forced many companies to cut wages. Resulted in the 1 st 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 1 st nationwide industrialized union. Supported arbitration, process where an impartial 3 rd 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. 1 st 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

AFL*Don’t Write* By 1900 the AFL had over 500,000 members. The majority of workers were still unorganized.

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 1 st national association dedicated to promoting women’s labor issues. Set up by Mary Kenney O’Sullivan & Leonora O’Reilly.

Mary Kenney O’Sullivan

End of Section 4 Next: TEST #2