The American Worker

Workers From Rural areas and Europe Desire employment opportunities Escape poverty and oppression New ethnic groups cluster together in cities “Little Italy”

IMMIGRATION Old immigration (Before 1880) – People from northern and western Europe, Ireland and Germany New immigration (1880-1924)- shift to southern and eastern Europe – Italy, Poland and Russia. Also, Japan and China

Danish Norwegian German Dutch Swedish English Scottish Welsh Irish Northern Europe German Dutch The "Old" Immigrants Swedish English Scottish Welsh Irish

Southern & Eastern Europe Italian Russian Greek Southern & Eastern Europe Jews The "New" Immigrants 1860-1920 Romanian Hungarian Austrian Serbian Polish Chinese

To Escape. Conditions in immigrants’ native lands often propelled Religious Persecution Of Jews The Irish Potato Famine To Escape. Conditions in immigrants’ native lands often propelled or “pushed” them to leave. Immigrants came to escape conditions of poverty or religious and political persecution. Extreme Poverty & Crime in Italy Political Persecution in Germany

The Land of Opportunity. Conditions in the U.S. also attracted or Availability Of Jobs $ Higher Standards Of Living $ The Land of Opportunity. Conditions in the U.S. also attracted or “pulled” many immigrants to come. Many newcomers heard about these benefits. News of these benefits was spread by letters to relatives, steamship advertisements and industrialists seeking to recruit laborers. Religious Freedom Greater Political Freedom

Statue Of Liberty Symbol Open Immigration

Ellis Island, New York

Interior Of Ellis Island

The Melting Pot Theory Americans Italians Irish Jews Greek Russian Polish Chinese Americans

“Melting pot” theory – new American culture Assimilation - The process when a minority group adopts the customs and attitudes of the nation’s culture.

Nativist laws passed to limit immigration Nativism – belief that native-born Americans are superior to immigrants. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1888 Emergency Quota Act of 1921 Lowered the amount of immigrants admitted to US = lowers immigration by 75% National Origins Act of 1924 Lowers immigration from Eastern and Southern European Countries

The Growth of the American Labor Movement

The Changing American Labor Force

PROBLEMS for WORKERS No regulation of working conditions Poor pay, long hours, unhealthy Dangerous machines: accidents’ TONS of workers available Increasingly mechanized No job security Owners have gov’t. & courts on their Side -Women & Children are exploited

Child Labor

America’s First Labor Unions

Knights of Labor Terence V. Powderly

Goals of the Knights End child labor Eight-hour workday. Higher pay Workers’ cooperatives and factories Create one large union. Equal pay for men and women. Safety codes in the workplace. Stop contract foreign labor. Gov’t ownership of utilities Graduated Income Tax

The American Federation of Labor: 1886 Samuel Gompers

How the AF of L Would Help the Workers Union of skilled workers. Focus: “Bread & butter” issues (wages, hours, working conditions) Maintained a national strike fund. Prevented disputes among craft unions. Mediated disputes between management and labor. Pushed for closed shops. Want collective bargaining rights Want state and federal laws to protect workers

International Workers of the World (“Wobblies”)

“Big Bill” Haywood of the IWW Violence was justified to overthrow capitalism.

The Hand That Will Rule the World One Big Union Who: Unskilled Industrial Workers Western miners lumbermen Goals: single united union of all workers Voluntary, cooperate human society How: Militant agitation Obstruction of industry Damages to businesses Small (60k) - not very successful

The Socialists Eugene V. Debs

Who is Debs? Founding Member of IWW Most famous Socialist in America Supports American Railway Union and Pullman Strike in 1894 Would be sentenced to prison during Pullman Strike and WWI (protested U.S. involvement) Ran for President from Socialist Party 5 times (1920 from jail)

Labor Disputes

Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. Haymarket Riot (1886) McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

Haymarket Martyrs

Homestead Steel Strike (1892) Homestead Steel Works The Amalgamated Association of Iron & Steel Workers

Big Corporate Profits!

The Corporate Cops: Pinkerton Agents

A “Company Town”: Pullman, IL

Pullman Cars A Pullman porter

The Pullman Strike of 1894

President Grover Cleveland “If it takes the entire army and navy to deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card will be delivered!”

Government by injunction! The Pullman Strike of 1894 Government by injunction!

Impact of Labor Disputes on Unions

View Of Unions unions + violence + strikes + socialists + immigrants = anarchists

Labor Union Membership: Less than 4% belonged to a union by 1900.

The Rise & Decline of Organized Labor

THE ULTIMATE GOAL??? Achieve the right to collectively bargain to negotiate a signed contract. Contract: outlines terms of working conditions

WHAT AFFECTED THE SUCCESS OF THE UNIONS? Diversity of workers Skilled v. Non-skilled Public Perception Fear of Radicalism Different Unions w/different goals Power of management was greater

Management vs. Labor “Tools” of Management “Tools” of Labor Non-union: “scabs” Anti-union pr campaign Used Pinkertons, militia, Fed. troops lockout blacklisting yellow-dog contracts court injunctions open shop boycotts sympathy demonstrations informational picketing closed shops organized strikes “wildcat” strikes

Government Action

Response to Unfair RR Practices “DO something!!!” Pressure at state level: Granger laws: RR must establish & post fair rates Supreme Court: Wabash v. Illinois: laws are unconstitutional: only Congress can control interstate trade National level: Interstate Commerce Act: est. reasonable rates, no rebates, no rate discrimination (not enforced well: Courts not willing to rule against RR’s) Sherman Ant-Trust Act