Labor Conditions and Impending Labor Union Strikes Essential Question: After reading through the Shop girl stories, formulate a description of working conditions these women faced, then determine what it is they are trying to convey in their writings.

Unsafe Working Conditions Steel Mills required 7 day workweeks Seamstresses worked 12 or more hours/day, 6 days a week No one entitled to vacation, sick leave, unemployment compensation, or reimbursement for injuries suffered on the job In 1882 and average of 675 laborers were killed in work-related accidents each week! Wages were so low that everyone in the house had to work to make enough money to eat Between 1890 and 1910 the number of women working for wages doubled from 4-8 million 20% of the boys and 10% of girls under age 15 held full-time jobs

Read the accounts written by sweat shop workers

How much were they paid?! In 1889 – Guesses? As low as 27 cents for a child’s 14 hour day Women earned an average of $267 a year Men earned an average of $498 a year – twice as much as women Andrew Carnegie made $23 million – with no income tax What do you think the workers could do to improve their situation?

Early Labor Organizing In 1866 the first large-scale labor union was formed, the National Labor Union (NLU) Membership grew to 640,000 In 1868 they persuaded Congress to legalize an 8 hour day for government workers The Colored National Labor Union was created out of the refusal to admit blacks into the NLU

In 1869, Uriah Stephens founded the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor They focused on individual needs whereas the previous unions focused on workers as a whole Motto – An injury to one is the concern of all

Two Major Types of Unions Craft Unionism – Included skilled workers from one or more trades Samuel Gompers lead the Cigar Makers’ International Union to join with other craft unions in 1886 The American Federation of Labor (AFL) with Gompers as their leader used strikes as a major tactic winning them higher wages and shorter workweeks From 1890-1915 Wages rose from $17.50 to $24 Average workweek fell from 54.5 hrs to just under 49 hrs

2. Industrial Unionism Included all laborers of a specific industry, skilled and un-skilled Eugene V. Debs formed the American Railway Union (ARU) In 1894 they won a strike for higher wages Their membership because of this climbed to 150,000

Strikes Turn Violent The Great Strike of 1877 was the country's first major rail strike Spawned violence that briefly paralyzed the country's commerce and led governors in ten states to mobilize 60,000 militia members to reopen rail traffic. The strike would be broken within a few weeks, but it helped set the stage for later violence in the 1880s and 1890s, including the Haymarket Square bombing in Chicago in 1886, the Homestead Steel Strike near Pittsburgh in 1892, and the Pullman Strike in 1894.

The Haymarket Affair May 4, 1886 3,000 people gather together at Chicago’s Haymarket Square to protest police brutality Once police arrive, someone (unknown still today) tossed a bomb into the police line Police opened fire Seven officers and several workers died 3 speakers and 5 other radicals were charged with inciting a riot All 8 were convicted – 4 were hanged, 1 committed suicide in jail

The Homestead Strike In June 1892 Carnegie Steel Plant president, Henry Frick announced he was going to cut wages of workers On the 29th the workers went on strike Frick calls in the Pinkerton Detective Agency to keep the strike under control, and he replaced striking workers – infuriating strikers Unclear as to how, but a battle ensued 3 detectives and 9 workers died The National Guard had to be called in to stop the fighting

The Pullman Company Strike In 1893, Pullman laid off more than 3,000 to 5,800 employees Also reduce the wages of the remaining staff by 25-50% - but DID NOT cut cost of employee housing In 1894, Eugene Debs asked for change, but was refused by Pullman The ARU began boycotting Pullman trains Pullman calls in strikebrakers and thing turned violent The President Grover Cleveland had to call in federal troops Debs was jailed and Pullman fired most of his workers and blacklisted the rest

Women Organize Although they were barred from unions, women organized behind powerful leaders Demanded better working conditions Equal pay for equal work End to child labor Most prominent was Mary Harris Jones Supported the “Great Strike” Endured death threats and was jailed for supporting minor workers strikes – was given the nickname “Mother Jones”

30 Million Children March In 1903, to expose child labor cruelties, she lead 80 million children on a march to the home President Theodore Roosevelt These children had hideous injuries from labor accidents This powerful march influenced the passing of child labor laws

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire It is no surprise that the government and business owners had to reassess the safety of their factories to prevent something like this from happening again.

Labor Conditions and Impending Labor Union Strikes Essential Question: After reading through the Shop girl stories, formulate a description of working conditions these women faced, then determine what it is they are trying to convey in their writings.