Warm- Up: Read the following quotes and Compare them Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor. -- John F. Kennedy "People are never so likely to be wrong as when they are organized.  And they never have so little freedom.  Perhaps that is why the people at large keep their freedom.  People can be manipulated only when they are organized.“ - Henry Ford 1) Which quote do you feel is the stronger argument? 2) Do you think the author of each quote felt that way for a reason? Why/why not?

The rise of Unions in America

What were Working Conditions Like? Lack of safety was a major concern Wages and Hours were ridiculous Unions were just starting

What is a Union? A group of like workers that band together to demand things from their employer Workers usually had a trained skill (valuable) Workers got together and agreed not to work without certain conditions being met ($$$, hours, etc) If Union was big, company had to comply with the demands or have no skilled workers (i.e. could go on strike)

How dID industries oppose Unions? Union Busting Contracts Blacklist Lockouts Strike Breakers

Turn and Talk – What do you see?

How did society respond to the conditions? Marxism became popular (idea of worker vs owner) Anarchism (less popular but still relevant)

Turn and talk – 1) What do you see? 2) What does this cartoon suggest?

Union Strike Songs

What is the AFL? American Federation of Labor (skilled) Their goals were better wages, better hours and safe working conditions Samuel Gompers famous leader (preferred to negotiate)

What Was the IWW? Industrial Workers of the World Skilled and unskilled workers (no distinction) Controversial Strikes as opposed to negotiation Eugene Debs a member – advocated shoter hours, better pay and ban on child labor

What about the Women? After Civil war more women in the workplace Limited Opportunity Women start to form Unions

Today’s Activity Pages 107-108 highlight some of the major actions taken by Unions as they began to organize. Read about the following events and take notes: The Great Railroad Strike, The Haymarket Riot, Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike (Frayer model) After taking your notes you are going to put them in order from the most significant to the least significant and explain why. DBQ – Pg 110 if you finish