1. The Labor Movement

2. The Workforce
Immigrants
Rural America

3. Life of a Factory Worker
Long Hours
Low Pay
Few Breaks
No Job Security
Tenement Living
Dangerous Working Conditions

5. Video: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

6. Emergence of Unions
Organizations of workers created to improve wages & working conditions.
Existed since 1778
Most Americans dislike unions
Social Darwinism

7. Early Unions National Labor Union (NLU) Founded: 1866 - William Sylvis
Skilled & Unskilled workers, farmers and reformers
Excluded women & blacks
Membership: 600,000
8 Hour work day

8. Early Unions Knights of Labor Founded: 1869 - Uriah Stephens
Secret Society
Child labor, public ownership of railroads, 8 hour work day
1879 – Terence Powderly
Membership 700,000

9. Early Unions American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Founded: – Samuel Gompers
Skilled workers
1904 Membership: 1.75 million

10. Why Unions? Collective Bargaining
Union & Management negotiate a contract that includes:
Wages
Hours
Working Conditions
Benefits
Job Security

11. Tactics Used Against Unions (Weapons of Business)
Fire Leaders
Blacklists
Yellow-Dog Contract
Injunctions
Lockouts
Strikebreakers
Public Opinion

12. Tactics Used By Unions (Weapons of Labor)
Strike
Boycott
Picketing