Chapter 14Industrialization

Section 4Unions

Working in the United States B/w 1865 & 1897, the U.S. experienced deflation, or a rise in the value of money.

Relations b/w workers & employers were difficult.

Deflation caused prices to fall and companies to cut wages.

Worker felt the only way to improve this was to form unions.

Working in the United States Workers faced:

Monotonous work Dangerous conditions Uneven division of income b/w wealthy &

working class.

Early Unions Two types of workers in industrial America: Craft workers – had special skills and paid

more. Common laborers – had few skills and

received lower wages.

Early Unions 1830s – craft workers formed trade unions,

which were limited to people with specific skills.

By 1873 – 32 trade unions in the U.S. Largest & most successful were:

Iron Molders’ International Union International Typographical Union Knights of St. Crispin

Industry Opposes Union Employers opposed industrial unions,

which united all craft workers and common laborers in a particular industry.

Companies began to have workers take oaths or sign contracts promising not to join a union.

They would also hire detectives to identify union organizers.

Industry Opposes Unions Workers who organized a union or strike

were fired and put on a blacklist. Once blacklisted, a worker could get a job

only by changing trade, residence, or name.

Industry Opposes Unions If a union was formed, companies used a

lockout to break it. Workers went without pay and were locked

out of the property. If the union did strike, employers would hire

strikebreakers, also known as scabs.

Political and Social Opposition Marxism, the ideas of

Karl Marx, was popular in Europe.

Marx felt it was the class struggle b/w workers & owners that shaped society.

He believed workers would revolt and gain control.

Political and Social Opposition After a revolution, Marx believed a socialist

society would be created in which the wealth was evenly divided, and classes would no longer exist.

Many labor supporters agreed, and some supported anarchism.

Political and Social Opposition Ideas of Marxism and anarchism spread

throughout Europe. Tens of thousands of immigrants arrived in

the U.S. People began to asociate Marxism and

anarchism with immigrants, and became suspicious of unions as well.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 1873 – sever recession forced many

companies to cut wages. Resulted in the 1st nationwide labor protest

in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as workers walked off their job and blocked tracks.

Included 80,000 workers in 11 states.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 Violence erupted President Hayes ordered the army to stop

the strike. 100 people died and millions of dollars in

property were lost.

Knights of Labor Failure of the RR strike showed a need for

better organized laborers. Knights of Labor became the 1st nationwide

industrialized union. Supported arbitration, process where an

impartial 3rd party helps mediate b/w workers and management.

Knights of Labor Demands:

8 hour workday Gov’t bureau of labor statistics Equal pay for women End to child labor Worker-owned factories

Haymarket Riot Haymarket Riot – 1886 – undermined the

Knights’ reputation, and the union rapidly declined.

Strike was called to show support for the 8 hour workday. One striker was killed.

Next evening a meeting was called to protest the killing.

Haymarket Riot

Haymarket Riot During the protest, someone threw a bomb. In the end, 7 police and 4 workers were

killed. One man was arrested from the Knights of

Labor. This hurt their reputation and people started

dropping out.

The Pullman Strike 1893 – RR workers created the American

Railway Union (ARU). They unionized the Pullman Palace Car

Company in Illinois. After the company cut wages, the workers

went on strike. It tied up the RR’s and threatened the

economy.

The Pullman Strike To end the boycott, U.S. mail cars were

attached to Pullman cars. Refusing to handle a Pullman car would

result in a violation of federal law. After an injunction, or formal court order,

stopped the boycott, the strike and the ARU ended.

American Federation of Labor 1886 – delegates from over 20 of the

nation’s trade unions organized the AFL. 1st leader was Samuel Gompers. Goals:

Get companies to recognize unions & agree to collective bargaining.

Push for closed shops – only hire union members.

8 hour workdays

AFL *Don’t Write* By 1900 the AFL had

over 500,000 members.

The majority of workers were still unorganized.

Working Women By 1900 women made up more than 18%

of the labor force. Most unions excluded women.

Women’s Trade Union League WTUL was the 1st national association

dedicated to promoting women’s labor issues.

Set up by Mary Kenney O’Sullivan & Leonora O’Reilly.

Mary Kenney O’Sullivan

End of Section 4Next: TEST #2