1. Workers and Unions 3 Big Unions and 3 Big Strikes

2. Rise of Labor A.Working conditions for urban industrial workers were tough 1.Low-skilled jobs made workers expendable 2.Working conditions often dismal 3.Recourse for workers was minimal due to the power of industrialists a. Strikes often broken by “scabs” b. “yellow dog” contracts c. Public grew tired of strikes

3. B. Civil War boosted labor unions 1. Drain of human resources put more value on labor 2. Rising cost of living led to formation of labor unions 3. Collective bargaining: workers sought to vote for their own representatives to negotiate on their behalf with company owners

4. C. National Labor Union (1866) 1. Sought to bring craft unions together into one big union 2. Lasted 6 years; 600,000 workers -- Led by William Sylvis 3. Focused on social reform, 8-hour work day, and arbitration of labor disputes 4. Colored National Labor Union founded in 1869 as a branch of the NLU 5. NLU killed by the Panic of 1873

5. D. Molly Maguires 1. Formed in 1875 by PA anthracite coal workers 2. Violence 3. Owners called in Pinkertons 4. Mollies eventually destroyed E. Great Railroad Strike (1877) 1. Railroads announced 10% pay cut for 2 nd time since 1873 2. First nation-wide strike resulted 3. President Hayes called in troops 4. Greenback Labor Party

6. F. Knights of Labor (1881) 1. Continued the work of the NLU a. Led by Terence Powderly b. Initially a secret society 2. “One big union” included skilled, unskilled, female, & black workers 3. Sought economic and social reform a. Replace the wage system b. 700,000 members

7. Top of Pole: “Tobacco, wine, higher wages, ham, bread” Flags: “Knights of Labor, Pittsburgh Free Strikers” Bucket: “Monopoly Grease” Men sitting: Vanderbilt, Gould Caption: First Annual Picnic of the "Knights of Labor" - More Fun for the Spectators than for the Performers. Pole: “Greased” Puck Magazine, June 21, 1882

8. An American Autocrat. He Ties Up Railroads and Exposes the Public to Inconvenience and Danger Whenever He is Obliged to Do Something to Earn His Salary. Puck, August 20, 1890

9. 4. Demise of Knights of Labor due to the “Great Upheaval” and Haymarket Square Riot (May 1886) a. Anarchists hanged or imprisoned b. Knights were unfairly seen as associated with anarchy c. Inclusion of both skilled and unskilled workers proved fatal

10. Thomas Nast, “Liberty is not Anarchy”, Harper’s Weekly, Sept. 4, 1886

11. G. American Federation of Labor (AFL) 1. Samuel Gompers 2. Skilled workers 3. “Bread and butter” issues 4. Closed shop 5. Walk out; boycott “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will..”

12. AF of L membership between 1881 and 1911

13. H. Major Strikes Homestead Strike 1. Homestead Strike, 1892 a. 20% pay cut enacted b. Workers went on strike and kept scabs out c. Frick called in Pinkertons d. Governor called in troops e. Union and strike were broken f. Demonstrated a strong employer could break a union with gov’t support This 1892 drawing from Illustrated Weekly depicts the labor troubles at Homestead, Pennsylvania, and the "Attack of the strikers and their sympathizers on the surrendered Pinkerton men"

14. Pullman Strike 2. Pullman Strike, 1894 a. Company town in Chicago b. Wages cut by 1/3 c. Eugene Debs, American Railway Union d. President Cleveland’s response -- Strike crushed; union broken e. First time the federal gov’t used a court injunctionto break a strike

15. “King Debs”, Harper’s Weekly, 1894 Highway of Trade Debs: American Railway Union

16. 3 Big Unions3 Big Unions3 Big Strikes3 Big Strikes National Labor Union Knights of Labor American Federation of Labor Great Railroad Strike, 1877 Homestead Strike, 1892 Pullman Strike, 1894 Memory Device for the Labor Movement: 1865-1900

17. I. By 1900 Unions had largely failed to achieve their goals 1. Wages remained almost the same compared to 1865 2. Work hours remained high in most industries 3. Working conditions remained oppressive

18. 4. Most unions were either broken or severely weakened by owner government actions (e.g. Knights of Labor, American Railway Union) 5. American Federation of Labor was among the few unions that remained intact and saw modest improvements for its workers 6. After 1900, the fortune for unions improved