2. Labor Unions and Strikes

3. Why join a union? Strength in numbers What were unions fighting against? 1) Exploitation a. Low Pay b. Long hours 2) Unsafe working conditions a. Injuries b. Deaths

4. Exploitation Most industrial employees of steel mills and textiles (seamstress) often……. 1) Worked how many days a week? Six to Seven 2) Worked how many hours a day? 12 to 14 hours 3) What benefits were they denied? Vacations, sick time, unemployment, worker’s comp

5. Wages Wages were so low that families had to send which family members to work? Women and Children -20% of boys and 15% of girls under 15 yrs old, many under 5yrs old, had full time jobs. Pay Rates in 1899 Children: $0.27 for a 14 hr day Women: $267 a year Men: $498 a year Carnegie: $23 million

6. Unions try to save the Day Knights of Labor 1) Link existing unions together 2) Excluded no one 3) Biggest success: Forced Jay Gould (R.R.) to give up pay cut 4) Disappeared after many unsuccessful strikes American Federation of Labor 1) Samuel Gompers, for skilled workers. 2) Used collective barging (all for one and one for all, like “Friends”), negations, and strikes. 3) Fought for higher wages, less hours, and better working conditions. 4) Excluded women, African Americans, unskilled workers.

7. Unions try to save the Day American Railway Union 1) Founded by Eugene Debs, for skilled and unskilled. 2) Went on strike for higher wages. 3) Lasting contribution: He help keep the idea of unions strong. The Wobblies – Socialist Union 1) Workers thought it would be more fair. 2) One of the few unions to accept African Americans. 3) Idea never caught on. It was seen as too extreme.

8. Women, Children and Unions Women 1) Most women not allowed to join unions. 2) Many women backed up powerful leaders to help them get their way and speak for them. Children 1) Mother Jones wanted to stop child labor 2) Endured jail time and death threats 3) Led 80 children who were injured in mills on a march to President Teddy Roosevelt's home.

9. Industry and government reaction to unions Employers reaction The more powerful unions became the more employers feared them. How they tried to stop unions Management fired union workers and made employees sign contracts saying they would not join a union (yellow dog contracts) Used the Sherman Anti-trust Act to break unions- which interfered with interstate commerce Government sided with Big Business and unions lost until Teddy Roosevelt became President in the early 1900’s.

10. Strike Worksheet Complete the details of the Haymarket, Homestead, and Pullman Strike by reading pages 247-248 of your textbook. You have 8 minutes to complete

11. Haymarket Square There was a strike at the McCormick Harvester factory. Workers were wounded/killed by policemen. The next day there was a protest against police brutality. At Haymarket Park in Chicago. –Police attacked the protestors or the protest was breaking up by itself.. –Someone threw a bomb at the police killing 7. Many workers were also killed/injured. –Unions were equated with violence against police and radicalism

12. Homestead Strike Carnegie Plant in Homestead Pennsylvania Carnegie’s business manager Henry Frick cut wages. The workers struck, so Frick hired scabs. He also hired the Pinkertons (armed enforcers) to protect the scabs. Battle between the Pinkertons and striking workers resulted in 12 deaths. Result was the death of the Steelworkers Union for 40 years.

13. Pullman Strike Pullman laid off 3,000 of its 5,800 employees. Cut wages for the rest by 25- 50% but didn’t drop rent prices. –Workers Struck –Strikebreakers (scabs) sent in –Turns Violent –President Hays breaks the strike. –The strikers got fired and were blacklisted –Eugene Debs goes to jail