The Failure to Gain Public Acceptance Labor Unions The Failure to Gain Public Acceptance

Factory System Factory workers cut corners to maximize profits The employee is no longer a primary concern Long hours Low pay Rigid timetables Strict discipline Monotonous work Frequent layoffs Women/Children paid less Unsafe, unsanitary working conditions

Collective Organization Unions are not illegal conspiracies: Commonwealth v. Hunt, 1842 Still faced opposition with the public and the national government “Rugged Individualism” Unions associated with anarchists, socialists, and other foreign radicalism. Federal government sought to limit union power to protect big business and appease public opinion by using troops, injunctions, and legal restrictions

Who was eligible to join? Knight of Labor: Anyone, including blacks, women, professionals, laborers, skilled workers, anarchists, socialists, and farmers. AFL: Restricted membership to those with similar interests; only skilled workers that were difficult to replace if they went on strike

What were the goals of the union? Knights of Labor: Eliminate capitalism by creating worker owned businesses based on the concept of cooperatives. Unions would be self-supporting AFL: Higher wages, shorter hours and improved working conditions.

Methods of achieving its goals Knights of Labor: Boycotts, strikes, and mass meetings AFL: Strikes and refrained from aligning with political parties

Public perception of the union? Knights of Labor: Abhorred use of violence and were suspicious of their anti capitalistic philosophies. AFL: disapproved of collective actions, but less threatening than the Knight of Labor

Bias? Capitalists: Nativists: Horatio Alger: Anarchists: Socialists: They believed in rugged individualism Nativists: They opposed foreigners, Catholics, radicals, Southern and Eastern Europeans Horatio Alger: He preached rugged individualism and the idea that hard work is the path to wealth Anarchists: They were anti-Capitalist Socialists: American Public: They opposed labor unions, anarchists, socialists, and violence

Questions In what ways did these biases strengthen American capitalism? In attacking anticapitalist groups, they, in effect, defended capitalism In what ways did these biases weaken the American labor movement? Most Americans associated these anticapitalist groups with violence, revolution, and foreign ideas.

Questions According to Judge Jenkin, does the right of the property owner or the laborer take precedence? Explain his position. Judge Jenkin put the right of property above the rights of laborers, as he explained in Farmer’s Loan and Trust v. Northern Pacific.

Questions In what way does the cartoon reflect Judge Jenkin’s decision? The government had called out the militia to control the strikers and protect private property How does the document explain why Samuel Gompers believed socialists were wrong economically, socially, and industrially? Eliminating private enterprise seemed unrealistic for workers. They used foreign and radical doctrines No motive for workers to produce

Final Thoughts Between 1873-1878, 300,000 members of the work force, belonged to unions. After depression of 1870s, only 50,000 belonged to unions. By 1900, union membership of 900,000 persons constituted only 8.74% of the work force. Why has this occurred? Public generally was distrustful of union activity Government supported employers Unions, except the AFL, had accomplished little for their members.