Unions Chapter 12- Section 4 Brandy Miller, BreeAna Braden, Megan Loos

American Working Conditions ● Life for workers in industrial America was difficult. – Conditions were unhealthy and dangerous – Heavy machines lacking safety devices caused injuries ● Deflation, or a rise in the value of money, added to tensions between workers and employers. Also caused prices to fall and increased the buying power of workers' wages.

Unions ● Two types of workers –craft workers and common laborers. ● Unions formed in the late 1800s by workers hoping to improve wages, hours, and working conditions. ● Strikes led to violence, which hurt the image of unions and slowed their growth.

Trade Unions ● In 1830s, as industrialization began to spread, craft workers began to form trade unions. ● Trade Union: an organization of workers with the same trade or skill. ● By 1973, there were 32 national unions in the U.S. – Iron Molders' International Union, the International Typographical Union, and the Knights of St. Crispin.

Industry Opposes Unions ● Business leaders opposed industrial unions, which united all workers in a particular industry. ● Companies used several techniques to stop workers from forming unions. ● Workers who tried to organize union or strike were put on a blacklist (a list of “troublemakers”) so that no company would hire them.

The Knights of Labor ● Workers began to form unions to fight for better wages and working conditions but had few successes. ● The Knights of Labor opposed strikes, preferring to use boycotts to pressure employers. ● Supported arbitration, a process in which a third party helps workers and employers reach an agreement.

The Haymarket Riot ● Began in Chicago as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an 8-hour day. ● May 4th, people gathered in Chicago's Haymarket Square to protest the shooting of the strikers. ● As the meeting was being broken up, the policed moved to keep order. Someone threw a bomb, killing one officer and wounding 6 others.

New Unions Emerge ● New types of Unions emerged because most workers were unskilled and unrepresented by trade unions. ● The American Federation of Labor was the dominant union of the late 1800s. It was formed be leaders of several national trade unions. ● From its beginning, the AFL fought for skilled workers; new unions tried to organize unskilled workers.

The AFL ● Three main goals: – Convince companies to recognize unions and agree to collective bargaining. – Pushed for closed shops where companies could only hire union members – 8 Hour work day ● In 1900 it was the biggest union in the country with over 500,000 members.

Samuel Gompers ● First president of the AFL, held his position from ● While other unions focused on politics, Gompers tried to steer away from controversy and stay focused on “pure and simple” unionism. ● Focused on big issues: wages, working hours, and working conditions. ● Willing to strike but preferred to negotiate.

The IWW ● The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was formed by a group of labor radicals (many of them socialists) in ● “The working class and the employing class have nothing in common” ● Never gained large membership, but its radical philosophy and controversial strikes led many to believe they were a subversive organization.

Ladies' Unions ● After the Civil War, the number of women wage earners increased. ● Women paid less than men, even if men performed the same job. Unions also excluded women. ● Unions such as the Women's Trade Union League pushed for fair labor laws within companies that hired women. – 8 hour workday, creation of minimum wage, end to evening work, abolition of child labor