“Galley Labor”

Rise of Labor Unions

The Industrial Revolution By 1900, the U.S. was the leading industrial nation in the world as millions left rural areas to work in the city This happened due to an abundance of natural resources, a booming population, new inventions and the free enterprise system

The free enterprise system meant that businesses made their own rules Early Unions Early Unions The free enterprise system meant that businesses made their own rules Without government interference, business owners could pay their workers what they wanted and make them work as long as they wanted Industrialization during the late 1800s contributed to the development of organized labor because it created low-wage, low-skill jobs that made employees easy to replace.

Government Regulations These big businesses acquired enormous financial wealth. They often used this wealth to dominate and control many aspects of American cultural and political life. As a consequence of these practices, by the beginning of the 20th century big business became the target of government reform movements at the state and national levels.

Problems Faced by Workers Factory workers worked 12 or more hours a day; six days a week. Employees were not entitled to vacation; sick leave; unemployment compensation; or reimbursement for injuries suffered on the job. They worked in dirty; poorly ventilated factories; workers had to perform repetitive mind dulling tasks; sometimes with dangerous or faulty equipment. Wages were so low that most families could not survive unless everyone held a job.

In sweatshops or workshops rather than in factories; workers had little choice but to put up with the conditions. Sweatshop employment required few skills; it was often open to women and children. Sweatshop paid the lowest wages: 27 cents for a child’s 14 hour day. Women earned an average of $267 a year; nearly half of men’s average pay of $498 Some Industries preferred hiring women and especially children because it was cheap labor.

Children were subject to harsh forms of punishment, especially for being late or for not meeting their quota. One type of punishment was to be “weighted.” The overseer would tie a heavy weight to worker's neck, and have them walk up and down the factory aisles in front of the other children as an example. With little time or energy left for school; child laborers forfeited their futures to help their families make ends meet. Though some saw child labor as an advantage, Lewis Hine’s photos of thousands of children awakened society to the cruelties of child labor. The children’s circumstances slowly started changing as the government began making new laws.

Child Labor

Where does most child labor occur?

1904 The National Child Labor Committee forms. It is not until 1938 that federal law preventing the labor of children under the age of 14 goes into effect. (One Hundred Years Toward Suffrage: An Overview) (The History Place: Child Labor in America 1908-1912 )

What is a Labor Union? A labor union is an organization of workers who unite to protect the rights of the workers from abusive practices of the employer

Advantages of Labor Unions Collective Bargaining- workers act together in negotiating new contract for higher wages. Strikes-Workers walked off their jobs and picket the workplace Closed Shop-Only union members can work there

Great Railroad Strike of 1877 In 1877, a economic recession led to some railroads cutting wages, triggering the first nationwide labor strike. It became known as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Some workers turned violent and numerous states had to call out their state militias to stop the violence.

The Knights of Labor The first successful labor organization. It was an organization of both skilled & unskilled laborers Due to conflict between skilled & unskilled workers; many members left the organization. By 1890 the Knights had disappeared due to the Haymarket Riot.

Goals of the Knights of Labor Eight-hour workday. Abolition of child and prison labor. Equal pay for men and women. Safety codes in the workplace.

Labor Unrest: Major Strikes of the Late 1800s Year/City Industry or Company Causes Effects Great Railroad Strike 1877 at Martinsburg West VA Baltimore & Ohio RR Wages cut by the RR Workers destroyed rails; train stations and train cars. Federal troops were called in to end strike. Impact: formed the 1st industrial union Haymarket Riot 1886 at Chicago IL Factory workers across Chicago Workers protested police actions 7 police were killed by a bomb. Impact: The Knights of labor were blamed; the union ended

The American Federation of Labor (AFL): 1886 Samuel Gompers was the President of the AFL. Every kind of work should have their own union. Membership was only to skilled workers. Gompers believed in negotiation rather than go on strike. Samuel Gompers-President of AFL

How the AF of L Would Help the Workers Catered to the skilled worker. Eight hours workday Maintained a national strike fund. Higher wages Safer working conditions and benefits for injured workers Mediated disputes between management and labor. Pushed for closed shops.

Pullman Strike In 1894, Recession hits, Pullman cuts wages but refuses to cut prices for rent & groceries. Following the firing of union workers, Debs organized a strike that shut down the nation’s railroads and threatened the economy (If the trains stop, the money stops).

Labor Unrest Major Strikes of the Late 1800s Year/City Industry or Company Causes Effects Homestead Strike 1892 at Homestead PA Carnegie Steel Company Wage Cuts and a 70-hour work week. Workers & private guards were killed. State militia broke up the strike. Union broke up Pullman Strike 1894 at Pullman IL Pullman Company Wages cut without cutting cost of employee housing Chicago had no trains for 2 months; 27 states had no train services or mail. Impact federal troops was sent to end the strike.

Suppressing the Unions Union organizers were blacklisted, making it impossible for them to get a job Businesses locked workers out and refused to pay them Workers were forced to sign a yellow dog contract saying they would not join a union Pinkertons or private detectives were used to break up strikes An Injuntion or court order to end a strike

Karl Marx Karl Marx was the German philosopher, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. Marx argued that free market capitalism, like previous socio-economic systems, will inevitably produce internal tensions which will lead to its destruction

Marxism Marx believed that workers would eventually revolt, take control of factories, and overthrow the government. Once the workers did this, the new workers-led government would take all private property and distribute wealth evenly among every citizen. Marxism greatly influenced European unions and led to numerous revolutions in Europe in the mid-1800s. When immigrants came to the U.S. from Europe, many feared they would bring their ideas of workers revolutions with them, leading to a distrust of many Americans of immigrant workers.

The End