The Growth of the American Labor Movement

American working class and growth of industrial capitalism Beneficiary - rise in standard of living for many victim - tough and dangerous working conditions - diminishing control over their own work - growing sense of powerlessness

Labor Force Distribution 1870-1900

Immigrant work force Demand for factory labor grew – especially unskilled labor Massive migrations resulted - from rural towns and farms to cities -immigration from Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia

1865-1915 – 25 million, 4 times more than before 1st – England, Ireland, Northern Europe 2nd – Southern and Eastern Europe 3rd – Mexico, Asia in the West

Reasons for immigrating Escape poverty and oppression New opportunities Railroads distributed leading advertisements overseas Foreign born labor brokers, padrones, recruited work gangs of their fellow nationals

Labor Contract Law Allowed industrial employers to -actively recruit immigrant workers -paid them for their passage -took it out of their wages later ethnic tension

Wages and working conditions Average income = $400 per year $600 considered minimum for reasonable level of comfort Boom and bust cycles Adjustments from rural to city life Assembly line work routine, repetitive, and monotonous

10 hour work days Six days a week Industrial accidents No workman compensation

Working Conditions

Child Labor

Child Labor

Less skilled needed Could be paid lower wages 17% of women working 1900 Worked in all areas of industry $6.00 per week 1.7 million children under 16 employed Cold water thrown in face to keep awake; many accidents

“Galley Labor”

Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

Union Organization

Created large combinations – unions Craft unions – small shops in past; not successful National Labor Union – 1st labor union -640,000 members – only men

Irish fraternal society The Molly Maguires (1875) Irish fraternal society James McParland Radical group in coal industry; used violence and murder

An injury to one is the concern of all! Knights of Labor Terence V. Powderly An injury to one is the concern of all!

Knights of Labor Included anyone who worked – all levels; barred “non-producers” Included women and blacks Loosely organized Went from secret organization to open one with almost 1 million members Success in Missouri Pacific strike Failed in Texas and Pacific system – weakened their organization

Goals of the Knights of Labor Eight-hour workday. Workers’ cooperatives. Worker-owned factories. Abolition of child and prison labor. Increased circulation of greenbacks. Equal pay for men and women. Safety codes in the workplace. Prohibition of contract foreign labor. Abolition of the National Bank.

Lasting achievements of Knights Foran Act, 1885 - no contract labor bringing in foreigners Created Bureau of Labor Statistics 1880 – arbitration law required for labor disputes Spread idea of unionism Creation of industrial unions for both skilled and unskilled workers

Mary Harris, “Mother Jones” “Miners’ Angel” Speaker, labor organizer “greatest woman agitator” United Miners Union Children’s march on Washington D.C.

American Federation of Labor Most enduring in country Skilled workers A union of smaller craft unions No women

The American Federation of Labor: 1886 Samuel Gompers

Relationship between labor and management Closed shops Better wages 8 hour workday working conditions Collective bargaining Strikes Slow downs Provided mediations Bread and butter goals

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Railroads cut wages Strikers disrupted rail service, destroyed equipment, riots President Hayes ordered military to suppress (problem for delivering U.S. mail) – 1st major national labor conflict Failed and weakened railroad unions and damaged reputation of labor unions

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

Big Corporate Profits!

A “Company Town”: Pullman, IL

Pullman Cars A Pullman porter

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

The Socialists Eugene V. Debs

International Workers of the World (“Wobblies”)

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

I W W & the Internationale

Labor Union Membership

Reasons for labor weaknesses Represented only small % of work force Excluded unskilled workers and women Tensions between ethnic and racial groups Shifting nature of workforce Brute force of owners Espionage and sabotage of working communities and organizations

EOC Review Why were labor strikes in the late 19th century not as effective in industries that depended largely on unskilled workers? A. Most unskilled workers were paid high wages. B. Unskilled workers could be replaced more easily than skilled workers. C. Unskilled workers were not allowed to join unions. D. Many unskilled workers were deported for supporting unions.

The Rise & Decline of Organized Labor

Partner PowerPoint Presentation Choose a major labor event: Great Railroad Strike; Haymarket Square Riot; Homestead Strike; Pullman Strike Take a point of view of laborer, business owner, or government official. State your viewpoint.

Research a labor event. Report 7 Ws of the event: The Great Railroad Strike; The Homestead Strike; The Pullman Strike When was this event? Where did this happen? Who were the main people involved? Why -what were the events leading up to this? What documents and quotes did you find – summarize and analyze. What happened?

What Next? What would someone with your point of view want to do next? How would you prove that with the documents, quotes or pictures you have seen? Who would you try to convince to take action? (Audience) What would you want that person to do? Cite your sources.