Aim: What led to the rise of labor unions in the United States?

Do Now: Use the text from the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) to answer the following questions: Section 1: "Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal.trust Section 2: "Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade

1) What seems to be the focus of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? 2) What other political movement seems to have influenced this act? 3) Do you think it will be effective? Why or why not?

American Labor in the Gilded Age While some became very wealthy in the Gilded Age, others struggled to get by

Extremely harsh conditions: 6-7 day work weeks 12+ hour work days No sick or vacation time No disability payments or health insurance By 1882, over 500 workers would die a week in factory accidents Child labor runs rampant

Extremely low compensation; in 1899 Average woman was paid $267/yr Average man was paid $498/yr Average Andrew Carnegie made $23,000,000/yr What steps can workers take to help remedy these problems?

The Great Upheaval July 16, 1877: B&O railroad cuts worker pay by 10% Workers and local towns people in West Virginia prevent trains from leaving until wages are restored Police sent to break up strike: join strikers National Guard sent to break up strike: join strikers

No organization, but strikes spreads until over 100,000 workers involved Many wealthy fear it will spread to wide-scale revolution (J.P. Morgan begins constructing fortified mansions) Eventually military ends strike; mixed results (some workers receive better treatment, some don’t) If unorganized labor can be so strong, what can organized labor do?

Labor vs. Management Union Goals Better pay Better working conditions Enhanced benefits (8- hour work day, 5 day work week, overtime pay, medical care, etc)

Union Strategies Strikes: Workers would refuse to work until demands were met Boycotts: Organize sympathy from local community to stop buying goods until demands are met Sabotage: Workers would purposefully destroy factory equipment, and sometimes commit violent acts against foreman or factory owners

Management Retaliation Lock-Out: Reverse strike: Management refuses to let workers work until they agree to a pay cut Scabs: Strikebreakers hired to work in the place of striking workers, had to “cross the picket line” (often led to violence) Blacklists: Management would ban unions (and fire those who joined) Courts nearly always sided with management in disputes

Important Labor Unions

National Labor Union First national labor union, founded in 1866 by William Sylvis Brought together many different types of workers, but not blacks (who would form the CNLU) Successful in some reforms, such as an eight hour workday for government workers Falls apart: too many different types of workers

Knights of Labor Pick up from NLU Originally a secret society, welcome woman and African Americans Support NLU agenda, as well as equal pay for men and women, government ownership of railroads, restrictions on child labor

American Federation of Labor Founded by Samuel Gompers, “keep it simple” Only focused on unionizing skilled laborer, did not included unskilled labor (factory workers, etc) Do you think the AFL will be successful? Why? Survives today as the AFL- CIO

American Socialism Supporters of Karl Marx, felt the Capitalist system was inherently unjust towards workers Eugene V. Debs: Forms the American Socialist Party Receives nearly 1,000,000 votes in 1912 Presidential election (900,000 in 1916 from jail) Over 1,000 Socialists elected to office in the U.S. by 1926; fiercely pro-labor and anti-business

Industrial Workers of the World Known as Wobblies, focus on unskilled labor Never large in number, but believe strikes and action are better than negations; on the front- lines of most strikes

Haymarket Riot (May 4, 1886) Labor protest in Chicago turns into a riot after a bomb is thrown into a group of police officers, who open fire on strikers 8 workers and 8 officers are killed, 8 men are arrested (seven hung, one imprisoned) Begins to turn public away from unions

Homestead Strike (1892) Steelworkers strike at a Carniege Steel plant Pinkerton detectives sent to help strikebreakers work, violence breaks out and 15 are killed National Guard sent to break up strike

Pullman Strike (1894) Pullman train car company slashes worker pay Labor unions and railroad unions place a boycott on any train carrying a Pullman car or goods in Pullman cars Violence and riots break out, causing over $80 million in damages Ended by National Guard

Unions do achieve some goals in winning better treatment for workers, but public opinion will begin to turn against them by the early 1900’s