The Rise of Unions Objective: Explain the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution with emphasis on-the changing role of labor and the rise of the union movement.

As you have read, working conditions in factories were often unclean, unsafe, and dangerous. Adults as well as children were often injured or even killed by machinery. Employers frequently fired injured workers or those who fell ill and could not perform their job. No one guaranteed workers any protection from unfair treatment. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, workers became increasingly dissatisfied with their working conditions.

The working class had little power and few resources to achieve better pay, shorter hours, and safer working conditions. Some workers, such as the group called the Luddites in England, tried to stop the loss of jobs and poor wages that resulted from industrialization. They rioted and destroyed the new, labor-saving machines that were taking away their jobs. The Luddites were suppressed by the British government, however, and nothing came of their revolt. Early Labor Movements

Trade Unions Workers began to band together in trade unions. The unions represented workers in dealing with factory owners. Union members would strike, or stop working, to try to force factory owners to meet their demands. Trade unions spread throughout Great Britain as workers saw that strikes could be successful bargaining weapons with employers. Trade Unions

Trade Unions Nonetheless, trade unions had to fight hard to exist. At first, the governments of industrialized nations outlawed unions. Often, wealthy business people and factory owners controlled these governments. Workers in Great Britain were the first to win the right to organize. In 1799, British lawmakers outlawed unions by passing the Combination Acts. The acts were repealed in 1824, but the unions remained weak for several more decades. British unions became legal under the Trade Union Act of 1871, although a law that made picketing illegal was passed on the same day as the Trade Union Act. Trade Unions

Even when unions became legal, many factory owners found ways to oppose them. The bosses threatened workers and hired strikebreakers. Nonetheless, workers continued to unionize. By persevering, they finally won shorter workdays, higher wages, and safer working conditions. Trade Unions