The Rise of Labor Unions

The Rich v. The Poor By 1890, the richest 9% of the of Americans held nearly 75% of the national wealth Many workers began to resent the lavish lifestyles of their rich owners, and began to organize in an effort to establish a better work system

What Did Workers Want? Regardless of the type of Union formed, workers generally wanted: Shorter workdays Higher wages Better working conditions An end to child labor

How to enact change? Election process of getting people sympathetic to the worker’s cause elected to government positions Collective-Bargaining negotiations between workers and employers to avoid confrontation Boycott products of employers that aren’t sympathetic to worker’s needs Organize strikes in which workers refused to go to work, stopped production, or otherwise disrupted the economic process

Examples of Unions National Trades Union The Knights of Labor The American Federation of Labor

How Did Employers React? Many forbid union meetings on-site, fired union organizers, did not hire those who would join unions “yellow dog” contracts, and did not participate in negotiations

Why didn’t early Unions work?

Strikes The Great Railroad Strike 1877 Wage cuts of up to 10%, and the running of double-engine trains (with double the cars) led workers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri to walk off the job and block others from fulfilling the job duties When the strikes turned violent, the Baltimore and Ohio RR Company asked for federal assistance

The Great Railroad Strike 1877 Pres. Hayes sent federal troops to Pittsburg to stop the violence, killing and wounding many Strikers caused over $5 million dollars of damage as federal troops halted the strike Defined the federal governments role as a strike-breaker and supporter of the employer over the employee

Haymarket Strike 1886 National strike of all workers calling for an 8-hour workday In Chicago’s Haymarket Square, during a demonstration, a bomb was exploded in police formation A riot broke out, and dozens were killed Four anarchists were hung The public began to associate Unions with violence and anarchy and radicalism

Homestead Strike 1892 Carnegie Steel cut wages in Homestead, PA Henry Frick called in the Pinkerton Police to kill strike leaders before the strikes could take place, and in retaliation, strikers attempted to assassinate Frick Again, the public decried strikes and denounced Unions as violent

Pullman Strike 1894 Pullman built his own town to house workers for his railroad, and though ideal in many ways, some workers found the rules too restrictive (ban on alcohol..) When the economy slowed, workers were laid-off, though rents and prices in the town remained the same, further angering those that lived there

The courts now support owners as well Pullman Strike 1894 Workers organized a strike of workers and a boycott of Pullman Railroads, and even tried to stop the railroads from running their routes The federal courts ruled the act of interfering with the railroad system illegal, as it disrupted federal mail being delivered The courts now support owners as well

Immigration

What is a Migration? to move from one country, place, or locality to another

What is an Immigrant? a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence immigrated to the United States from China

What is an Emigrant? a person who leaves one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere emigrated from China to the United States