LABOR UNIONS AND POLITICAL MACHINES 25 September 2017 US HISTORY

Conditions for workers Expanding middle class (thanks in part to Immigrants from where…?) Women in the work force and society Standard of living Working conditions Who can be “trusted”? Attempts to “improve” conditions for workers: Child labor laws Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Workers in the gilded age What kinds of work did most Americans do? Craftsmen / Tradesmen Common laborers What is a union? A union is an organization of common laborers and craft workers in a particular industry that unites to protect and further its rights and interests. Not always welcome… Companies would use several techniques to stop workers from forming unions. V/H integration allowed for reduced competition! Why?

The rise of labor unions Employers would use lockouts to keep unions from organizing. “Strikebreakers” would be hired by employers. Unions would not just consist of white males. How do you think immigrants played a role in these unions?

The first labor unions Early Labor Unions The Knights Labor of • Became strong after the Civil War Provided assistance to members in bad times Later expressed workers’ demands to employers Early Labor Unions A national union Recruited skilled and unskilled workers, women, Americans Emphasized education and social reform The Knights Labor of and African Led by Samuel Gompers Was a craft union of skilled workers A bread and butter union Used collective bargaining as a strategy The American Federation of Labor (AFL) Known as “The Wobblies” Organized unskilled workers Had radical socialist leaders Many violent strikes. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

Struggling to organize

The great railroad strike of 1877 America in a recession that began in 1873. Major railroads cut wages for the third time. Workers start walking off the job and blocking tracks. Word spreads to 80,000 workers across the country. President Hayes calls in federal troops. Shows that allowing workers to organize was dangerous to society.

The haymarket square riot (1886)

The haymarket square riot (1886)

The haymarket square riot results Union critics say “dangerous radicals” are dominating the unions. The Knights’ reputation takes a major hit.

The homestead strike (1892) The Carnegie Mill, Homestead PA

Are you frickin’ serious?

The triangle shirtwaist factory fire (1911)

New unions will emerge Mostly the same complaints (wages, working hours). Approaches were different. Trade unions most common, but they didn’t protect unskilled workers. New government regulations will prevail. (ICA) Women in the workforce! New types of unions emerge. The AFL The IWW

Rise of the political machines Many Americans have migrated to the city. Why? Population begins to separate by class and race. Cities posed the risks of crime, pollution, and fire. Cities were outgrowing the government. New city dwellers needed jobs, housing, food, heat, and police protection. In exchange for votes, political machines and party bosses provided these everyday necessities.

Not exactly what it seems

The good of the gilded age