1. LEARNING TARGET: I CAN EVALUATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZED LABOR IN THE UNITED STATES AND EXPLAIN WHY UNIONS FORMED. LABOR MOVEMENT

2. CHANGING WORKPLACE During the 2 nd Industrial Revolution, machines made worked simpler. This allowed for cheaper unskilled workers to take the place of skilled workers. Unskilled workers were easy to replace. So many were too worried to complain about pay or working conditions.

3. SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT __ As the use of machines spread so too did the idea of “ Specialization.” Specialization: Having workers perform the same task in the production process over and over again. Thanks to the ideas of Frederick Taylor, scientific management of production also increased. Scientific management : Is the idea of using efficiency studies to maximize production output. Most often to increase the efficiency of the worker.

4. HOW SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT AFFECTED WORKERS Frederick Taylor’s principles of scientific management viewed workers more as parts of a process than as people. In order to increase efficiency factory managers ignored unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. Workers were also pushed to work longer hours and work faster.

5. HOW SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT AFFECTED WORKERS Often, workers were injured on the job without any responsibility taken by the employer. No sick days, vacation time, unemployment, or worker’s compensation for injuries By 1900 industrial accidents killed 35,000 workers each year and maimed 5000 others

6. MAJOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS In general, industrial accidents were accepted unless there were large amounts of casualties in a single event. Ex. the many coal-mine explosions or the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in 1911. In one year alone 195 workers in steel and iron mills were killed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

7. TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FIRE The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in 1911 was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men – who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths Owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits, a common practice used to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks

8. WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE WORKPLACE Between 1890 and 1910, the number of women working for wages doubled, from 4 million to 8 million. By 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under 16 years old. Factories employed many women and children because they could be payed less than men. Many of these children worked instead of attending school.

10. LABOR UNIONS In order to try to improve wages and working conditions. Workers began to act collectively, or together. Collective Bargaining : Process in which union leaders negotiate with factory owners on behalf of workers to for better wages and working conditions. Most employers opposed collective bargaining and work to make sure unions never got started.

11. EARLY UNIONS The Knights of Labor was one of the first national labor unions. Consisting of both skilled and unskilled workers. The goals of the Knights were: 8 hour workday, Equal pay for equal work for men and women An end to child labor

12. EARLY UNIONS The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was another early national labor union. The AFL limited its membership to only skilled workers. The AFL grew by combining individual unions under one larger national organization. The goals of the AFL were: Better wages Better hours Better conditions

13. WHAT WERE SOME DIFFERENCES IN APPROACHES BETWEEN EARLY UNIONS?

14. HAYMARKET RIOT Labor leaders continued to push for change – and on May 4, 1886 3,000 people gathered at Chicago’s Haymarket Square to protest police treatment of striking workers A bomb exploded near the police line – killing 7 cops and several workers Radicals were rounded up and executed for the crime The public blamed the Knights of Labor for this tragedy.

15. HOMESTEAD STRIKE Conditions and wages were not satisfactory in the Homestead steel plant in Pennsylvania and workers struck in 1892. After workers seized control of the plant, Henry Frick hired Pinkerton detectives to take back control of the plant. Detectives and strikers clashed – 3 detectives and 9 strikers died The National guard restored order – workers returned to work

16. PULLMAN STRIKE After the Pullman Company laid off thousands of workers and cut wages, the workers went on strike in the spring of 1894 Eugene Debs (American Railroad Union) tried to settle dispute which turned violent Pullman hired scabs and fired the strikers – Federal troops were brought in Debs was jailed

17. EMPLOYERS FIGHT UNIONS The more powerful the unions became, the more employers came to fear them. Employers often forbade union meetings and refused to recognize unions. Employers forced new workers to sign “ Yellow Dog Contracts,” swearing that they would never join a union.

18. GOVERNMENT ATTITUDES TOWARDS LABOR In general, the government supported big business and did little to help labor unions. Court decisions typically went against unions. Government support for big business and bad public relations (PR) from strikes also set the labor movement back for several years. The were fighting an uphill fight!