The Labor Movement

Workers Face New Problems Impersonal Conditions Long Hours Boring, Repetitive tasks Low wages Dangerous Conditions Child Labor Periodic Unemployment Lack of Opportunity for Advancement Unpleasant Living Conditions

Workers Organize Since most work was unskilled workers could be easily replaced- created Labor Unions to get bargaining power back 3 Main goals: To obtain Higher wages and better working conditions “Mutual Aid” Societies To place pressure on Government 1- strike 2- provide pensions and insurance benefits

Unions The Knights of Labor Blacks, Women and rural far workers welcomed Demands: 8 hour workday, higher wages and safety codes in factories Opposed: Child labor, convict labor Favored: equal pay for women and immigration restrictions Preferred arbitration (compromise) over strikes KoL- founded by Terrence Powderly in 1869, membership soared in the 1880s, by 1886 they had 700,000 members

Unions American Federation of Labor Federation of several craft unions (cigar makers, carpenters, and shoemakers) Did not admit women, and some of the craft unions refused to admit blacks Demands: higher pay, 8 hour workday, better work conditions, and a “closed shop” Willing to use strikes and boycotts Hurt itself by only allowing skilled workers- most of the workforce were unskilled Founded in 1881 by Samuel Gompers, 1886 new name, AFL fe

Tactics of Labor and Management Strikes Strike funds Boycotts Picket lines Management: Strike breakers Lockout “yellow dog contracts” Blacklisting Court injunction

Role of Government Federal and state governments favored big business over unions Only about 10% of workers were unionized- by 1910 Government was made to protect private property Public believed union demands would raise prices, also viewed unions as violent, anarchist, socialists Businesses contributed to political campaigns Feared disruptiveness of strikes

Milestones of early Labor Movement The Haymarket Riot (1886) Homestead Strike (1892) Pullman Strike (1894) These events will help solidify public dislike of Unions The Haymarket Riot (1886) Strikers and strike breakers got into a fight, police fired upon them and killed several demonstrators Anarchist immigrant leaders called for a rally the next night at Haymarket square Police ordered the crowd to disperse- dynamite bomb was thrown at police- six policemen and four demonstrators died Unions become associated with violence and anarchists Homestead Strike (1892) Carnegie and Partner Henry C. Frick, locked out workers during contract negotiations at the Homestead Steel mill Workers went on strike and picketed around mill Hired Pinkerton workers to breakthrough picket lines- they were defeated State militia called in Frick hired strike breakers Pullman strike Pullman, Illinois- workers lived in town owned by Pullman Pullman lowered wages but refused to lower rent and food prices only taking home a few cents a day Eugene V. Debs- helpd form the American Railway Union railway workers were told to not handle Pullman cars during strike- brought train transportation to a standstill President Clevelend sent in troops Court filed an injunction on the ARU for interfering with interstate commerce debs was sent to prison for 6 months and became a socialist

Rise od Ideology Capitalists Social Darwinism Communists Socialists Resources privately owned and free market Social Darwinism Survival of the fittest Communists Classless society with no private property- violent overthrow of “bourgeoisie” class Socialists Reform and government involvement in big business on behalf of the workers Anarchists Abolition of central government