1. Maryam Gani Anushka Damidi
Labor Movement
Maryam Gani
Anushka Damidi

2. Overview: Introductions of machines in factories
Work times were cut down to 10 hours for 6 days
Dangerous working Conditions for factory workers
Labor workers wanted their rights and wanted to be represented rather than ignored
Increasing disparity between the rich and the poor.

3. What problem did the movement attempt to address?
Movement attempted to tend to the needs of the laborers, considering state and local authorities more responsive to needs of rich industrialists than laborers.
The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers.
Organized labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions.
The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired.

4. Conditions that created a need for change:
Free wage-labor market emerged in the artisan trades.
Company could increase prices at grocery stores in town and give laborers easy credit which kept workers stuck working at the low-paying job and in debt.
Crowded, dirty tenements led to soaring disease and death rates.
Workers who would protest working conditions would be replaced by corporations
Decreased wages
Industrial laborers worked at least a 10hr day however earned 20-40% less than minimum wage necessary for living a decent life
Gap between corporate giants and laborers widened

5. Goals of the movement Increase wages
Decrease the gap between the rich and the poor
Give labors more rights
Proper working conditions
Safer working conditions
Labor for all people-Women, Colored, Poor
Rights for Children
Laws for child labor
Decrease in working hours
Health Benefits

6. -Labor workers wanted to acquire this image, but it would only be possible if they were treated fairly.Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke and to provide for our posterity is to followe the Counsell of Micah, to doe Justly, to love mercy, to walke humbly with our God, for this end, wee must be knitt together in this worke as one man, wee must entertaine each other in brotherly Affeccion, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, wee must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekenes, gentlenes, patience and liberallity, wee must delight in eache other, make others Condicions our owne rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and suffer together, allwayes haveing before our eyes our Commission and Community in the worke, our Community as members of the same body, soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as his owne people and will commaund a blessing upon us in all our wayes, soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome power goodnes and truthe then formerly wee have beene acquainted with, wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when tenn of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when hee shall make us a prayse and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantacions: the lord make it like that of New England: for wee must Consider that wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a byword through the world, wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of god and all professours for Gods sake; wee shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going: And to shutt upp this discourse with that exhortacion of Moses that faithfull servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israell Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good, deathe and evill in that wee are Commaunded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his lawes, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that wee may live and be multiplyed, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whether wee goe to possesse it: But if our heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and worshipp other Gods our pleasures, and proffitts, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land whether wee passe over this vast Sea to possesse it;
-John Winthrop, City upon a hill
City upon a hill:
-The ideal city was to be acquired according to governor John Winthrop who stated the purpose quite clearly: "We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us."
-Labor workers would want to make the city they live in the “city upon a hill”, but they believed it would only be possible if they were treated fairly and equally. A prosperous city should not prosper on unfairness to its citizens.

7. Union Organizations:
In the 1842 case Commonwealth v. Hunt, the Massachusetts Supreme Court held that it was not illegal for workers to organize a union.
The increase in cost of living after the Civil War, lead industrial laborers to organize into unions.
In 1866, the National Labour Union was founded.
Helped overcome cultural divisions.
The depression of the 1870s, along with the sudden death of its leader, put an end to the union.
The union persuaded Congress to enact an eight-hour workday for federal employees and to repeal the Contract Labor Law.
1869- The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor was founded.

8. Union Organization Cont.
The Knights of Labor welcomed both skilled and unskilled laborers, blacks (though mostly in segregated locals), women, and immigrants (excluding Chinese)
One of the lasting achievements of the Knights was their drafting a bill that resulted in the creation of the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1884.

9. Major Strike (Molly Maguires)
Between 1891 and 1900 approx 23,000 strikes occurred involving over 6m workers
-early 1870s, anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania.
-conditions in coals mine were dangerous, with bad safety provisions and ventilation
-group of primarily Irish miners in Pennsylvania organized into a union: Molly Maguires
-mine owners ignored the problem
-Molly Maguires used intimidation, beatings, arson, and killings to fight for better working conditions and protest the mine owners’ denial of their right to form unions
-Mine owners used intimidation by maiming and killing those suspected of unionizing
situation was out of control so mine owners hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency
-Pinkerton gathered evidence concerning the criminal activities of MM to indict leaders.

10. Molly Maguires (con.)
Approx 20 members went to trial in 1876 and were convicted, some were hanged
MM became martyrs for labor and inspired many other labor unions to form.

11. Society's Response:
-The public tended to be tired of the unions’ frequent strikes and protests
-strikes disrupted their daily lives
-often unsympathetic to the workers’ unfortunate situation
-However, early 1900s, people began to understand workers’ need to organize, bargain and strike

12. Achievement of the Movement:
Ended child labor
Establish the legal right of workers to form unions and collectively bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions
Establish the 8 hour work day and paid overtime
Win workers' comp benefits for workers injured on the job
Secure unemployment insurance for workers who lose their jobs
Secure a guaranteed minimum wage
Improve workplace safety and reduce on the job fatalities

13. Labor Movement Moving Forward
-Association of national craft unions called American Federation of Labor (1886)
-alliance that unified strategy for various independent self-governing national unions
-Samuel Gompers, cigar maker who came to America as a teen served as president of AFL every year
-focused on concrete economic gains for AFL members
-AFL tried to create sense of pride for labor workers in their jobs
-The federation worked for things like employers’ liability, mine-safety laws, favorable trade agreements, closed shops
-Gompers and the AFL members used walkouts, boycotts, and negotiations to achieve their goals
By 1900, unions with a total of about 500,000 members formed the federation, and by 1920 it reached a peak of four million members.
-However, in the early 1900s, attitudes toward labor slowly changed as people began to understand the workers’ need to organize, bargain, and strike.

14. Chronology:
First textile mill, built in Pawtucket, RI, is staffed entirely by children under the age of 12.
The invention of the power loom makes weaving a factory occupation.
The first citywide labor council forms in Philadelphia.
Andrew Jackson declares a 10-hour workday in Philadelphia Navy Yard.
The first federal 8-hour day takes effect. It is very limited, though.
The union label is used for the first time by the Cigar Makers International Union.
Molly Maguires convicted for coal-field murders in Pennsylvania. 10 are hanged.
First Labor Day Celebration takes place in New York City.
The Foran Act bans immigration of laborers brought in under contract to break strikes.
The American Federation of Labor forms with Samuel Gompers as its first president.
The Haymarket Riot takes place in Chacago. Four are hanged.
The Homestead Strike in Pennsylvania ends in a Union loss.
The International Typographical Union successfully strikes for an 8-hour day.
A strike by Boston police is the first ever by public safety workers.
The Social Security act is approved.
The Walsh-Healey Act sets safety standards, minimum wage, overtime pay and child labor provisions on all federal contracts.
A federal minimum wage law takes effect.

15. Reflection-Anushka:
I found this project very interesting because earlier I had heard of the Labor movement and how the unions and people came together to help laborers in certain ways, and had heard of terrible working conditions which were unsafe and how children were forced to work in those jobs to help support themselves and their families. However with this project I was able to learn how unions and groups of people came together to fight for laborers and fought for safer working conditions, child labor, and even for women and colored people so that they too were able to work in safer conditions, with proper pay. One new thing I learned with this project was that labor unions were what created the 8 hour work day for 5 days per week. One interesting thing I learned while doing this project was that work limit for how many hours people worked was determined so that they work for 8 hours, have 8 hours of rest, and so they have 8 hours to do as they will, showing how Labor Unions cared about laborers and wanted to give them the rights that they deserved.

16. Reflection-Maryam:
The Labor Union Movement is very significant, even relating to today. There are many sweatshops around the world where young children work all day with the smallest pay possible making clothes for big name stores. Practically “wage slaves”. This is a good reminder about these situations and allows me to think on how these things could possibly change. When the Bangladeshi factory tower had collapsed, I was awakened to the issue that although these working conditions are tough and unsafe, the factory workers would still go to work to earn a small amount of money, barely sufficient to support their family. A way to urge large companies to abandon the wage-slavery they institute is to support other companies like Alta Garcia which has union-made, living-wage apparel. Also, to refrain from buying big-brand merchandise, like Nike. While it may be hard to do so, it would make a difference.

17. Bibliography: Pictures:
Websites: