Unions: Workers Unite

Life for workers in industrial America was difficult. Tasks were repetitive and dull and conditions dangerous and unhealthy. There were many worker injuries at this time. Workers resented the uneven division of income b/w the wealthy and the working class. Working for the Man

The Reasons for Organizing Deflation and economic problems caused prices to fall which led to a regular cut in worker’s wages throughout the late 1800s. Workers felt that they needed a union to bargain for them in order to get better wages and working conditions. The Reasons for Organizing

Industry Opposes Unions Employers generally viewed unions as conspiracies that interfered w/property rights. Companies used several techniques to stop workers from forming unions: Contractual agreements Blacklist union leaders Forced “lockouts” Hired strikebreakers Industry Opposes Unions

Unions prove unsuccessful Courts refused to support strikers, and union leaders were often jailed. Union members were labeled Marxists, anarchists, and un- American. Fears of all-out revolution caused the courts, the police, and even the military to break up unions. Unions prove unsuccessful

The Pullman Workers Strike On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike, protesting wage cuts and worker layoffs. They combined w/ the American RR Union, and spread the strike. The strike grew increasingly violent w/ workers destroying RR equipment. 12,000 federal troops had to be called in to end the strike. Riots, looting, and the death of 30 workers resulted and the imprisonment of the strike’s leader Eugene V. Debs. The Pullman Workers Strike

The Great RR Strike

Rather than strikes this union group used boycotts and arbitration – a process in which a 3rd party helps workers and employers reach an agreement. The Leader of this group was Samuel Gompers. The Knights of Labor called for an 8 hour workday, equal pay for women, the abolition of child labor, and the creation of worker-owned factories. They also welcomed women and African- Americans as members. The Knights of Labor

The American Federation of Labor The AFL worked on promoting the interests of skilled workers. The AFL had 3 goals: Tried to convince companies to recognize unions Used collective bargaining Pushed for closed shops = companies could only hire union members. By 1900 this was the largest union organization in the nation. The American Federation of Labor

In 1900 women were a part of the workforce In 1900 women were a part of the workforce. Their wage earning jobs usually included: Domestic servants Teachers Nurses Sales clerks Industrial workers Regardless of the job women were always paid less than men even when they did the same jobs. Most unions excluded women. Women in the workforce