Challenges to Big Business: Henry George: Progress and Poverty Edward Bellamy: Looking Backward

Socialism 1870’s Socialist Labor Party By 1901 American Socialist Party By 1912 All three parties denounced Socialism

Unions First real labor victory in American History: Shoe workers in Lynn, Mass. 10,000 walked off of the job and demanded: Wage increase & union recognition

1866 The National Labor Union Founder: Sylves Included many reform groups Excluded women 640,000 members at peak Died with the Panic of 1873

1869 Knights of Labor Secret organization at first under Stephens 1878 Powderly took it out in the open Open to all EXCEPT professionals Short term goals: 8 Hour Day, end child labor Long term goal: replace wages with a cooperative system

Knights of Labor Continued By 1886 700,000 members 1880’s unsuccessful strikes Became associated with violence, anarchy No public sympathy Government sided with big business By 1890 down to 100,000 then died

The AFL Skilled Labor Founder: Gompers Goals were political; not social: 8 Hour Day Higher Wages Better conditions Equal pay for women (why?)

AFL sponsored legislation for: Abolition of child labor Restriction of immigration Restriction of the use of injunction in labor disputes

The Strikes 1886 Haymarket Square Riots (Chicago) 1892 The Homestead Strike (Penn.) 1894 The Pullman Strike (Chicago)

No public sympathy Unions will become associated with anarchy Collective bargaining sounded communistic

May 1,1886 Haymarket Square Riots 5-1-1886 The AFL called for a national strike for an 8 hour day The day before, 4 strikers were killed during a strike outside of the McCormick Harvesting Co. May 1st A bomb was thrown into a very large protest/gathering 7 policemen killed, 67 others injured Police fired into the crowd, 4 more killed

Haymarket Square Continued Local anarchists were rounded up One was executed 1892 liberal Illinois governor, Altgeld, pardoned the others who were still in jail

1892 The Homestead Strike Carnegie Steel Plant in Pennsylvania Carnegie and plant manager, Frick, hated unions At Homestead plant: The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers Union was affiliated with the AFL 1890-92 serious wage cuts 1892 another wage cut and denied the union’s right to negotiate

Homestead Strike Continued Workers occupied plants Pinkerton’s called in to remove strikers and to protect scabs Pinkerton’s approached by river Workers poured oil into the river and set it on fire All hell broke loose

Homestead continued 8,000 National Guard sent to protect Steel plant and replacement workers Frick was shot and wounded Public opinion against strikers By 1891 down to 24,000 members By 1901 less than 7,000 AFL just barely survived

1894 The Pullman Strike Winter 1892-93 Pullman Company cut wages by 25% Did not reduce rents, store prices in its town 1893 Eugene Debs organized the American Railway Workers Union (ARU) Called for a nation-wide strike against Pullman Co. in July of 1894 60,000 walked off of the job

Pullman Strike continued Illinois Governor Altgeld sympathized with strikers and would not interfere on behalf of Pullman Co. Cleveland sent his Attorney General, Olney Olney placed a mailbag on the train and charged strikers with violation of the Sherman Anti-trust Act Big battle in Chicago

Pullman Strike continued Injunction issued Cleveland sent federal troops Eugene Debs jailed Converted to Socialism (Helen Keller) Ran for president for the Socialist Party 5 times

The Molly McGuires 1865-77 Irish coal miners in Penn Destroyed mining co. property Killed mine superintendents Infiltrated by Pinkertons 19 strikers executed in the end

1905 The IWW Big John Haywood Militant The Wobblies Organized miners, immigrants, itinerant farm workers Violent Government repression, deportation

ALSO… The Women’s Trade Union League: worked to improve working conditions for women and children National Consumers’ League: worked for above at the state level

Federal Reform Attempts The Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890): every contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of trade is illegal Was intended to restrain the power of monopolies BUT was more often used against strikers (Pullman) & NOT against monopolies (E.C. Knight case & 14th Amendment)

Another Federal Reform Attempt: The Interstate Commerce Act (1887): said RR rate discrimination was illegal and established the ICC: a 5-member non-partisan board to take RR’s to court for violations of the ICA BUT also did not work: rebates, the ICC, and the Court