By: Masai Brown-Andrews, Philip Horrigan, and Charlie Price Labor Unions By: Masai Brown-Andrews, Philip Horrigan, and Charlie Price
What is a labor Union and what did they do? Definition: An organization that brings together workers in the same trade to fight for better pay or working conditions They organize strikes and negotiations with employers
WHy were they helpful? They provided power for the workers that were usually powerless They found power in numbers They were organized so their protests and strikes were more effective
Back in the day There were not unions for different trades One of the first unions was the Knights of Labor - a general union that protected all people, no exceptions When they failed because employers started to fire people who joined them, the American Federation of Labor was formed
The American Federation of Labor This new organization was more peaceful, no more riots, and this helped them survive They were a group of unions that would band together to solve the big problems that workers faced
How to defeat a union A bunch of workers who worked for Henry Clay Frick in Pennsylvania went on strike for their bad working conditions and it didn’t work out so well for them. Henry Clay Frick decided to hire non-union workers to replace them and they all lost their jobs.