Labor Issues during

the Gilded

Age

Child LaborChildren provided:Children provided:•A cheap source of laborA cheap source of labor•A labor force that could not A labor force that could not complaincomplain•Smaller workers to fit into areas that Smaller workers to fit into areas that adults couldn’tadults couldn’tParents wanted children to work because:Parents wanted children to work because:• The families needed the moneyThe families needed the money• They thought hard work built characterThey thought hard work built character• They believed once children learned how They believed once children learned how to read, write, and do basic math, they to read, write, and do basic math, they were educated enoughwere educated enough

Child Labor

Child Labor

Child Labor

Child Labor

Child Labor

Child Labor

The Birth of Unions

What is a Labor Union?

Labor Union – an organization of Labor Union – an organization of workers who unite to protect the workers who unite to protect the

rights of the workersrights of the workers

What is a Labor Strike?

Labor strike – A labor union refuses to Labor strike – A labor union refuses to go to work in order to shut down a go to work in order to shut down a business because of poor working business because of poor working

conditions or poor payconditions or poor pay

Early UnionsThe free enterprise system meant that The free enterprise system meant that

businesses made their own rulesbusinesses made their own rules

Without government interference, Without government interference, business owners could pay their workers business owners could pay their workers what they wanted and make them work what they wanted and make them work

as long as they wantedas long as they wanted

IndustrializationIndustrialization during the late 1800s during the late 1800s contributed to the development of contributed to the development of

organized labor because it organized labor because it created low-created low-wage, low-skill jobs that made wage, low-skill jobs that made

employees easy to replace.employees easy to replace.

Mary Harris “Mother” JonesMother Jones was the nation’s most Mother Jones was the nation’s most

prominent woman union leader during prominent woman union leader during the American Industrial Revolutionthe American Industrial Revolution

Jones became an Jones became an organizer for the organizer for the

United Mine United Mine WorkersWorkers

She traveled to numerous mining She traveled to numerous mining camps to see conditions miners had camps to see conditions miners had to endure. She gave fiery speeches for to endure. She gave fiery speeches for miners to unite to fight for better miners to unite to fight for better working conditions and better pay.working conditions and better pay.

Eugene V. DebsEugene V. Debs Eugene V. Debs was the powerful was the powerful

leader of the leader of the American American

Railway Union.Railway Union.

Debs would run for president Debs would run for president four times as a candidate for four times as a candidate for

the Socialist Partythe Socialist Party

American Federation of LaborThe American Federation The American Federation

of Labor was of Labor was the union of the union of over 20 trade unionsover 20 trade unions

Samuel Samuel Gompers was Gompers was the union’s the union’s first leader.first leader.

Gompers believed unions should stay out of politics and that they should negotiate rather than go on strike.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Knights of LaborIn response to the Great In response to the Great

Railroad Strike of 1877, labor Railroad Strike of 1877, labor organizers formed the organizers formed the first first

nationwide industrial unionnationwide industrial union – – the Knights of Labor. the Knights of Labor.

The Knights called for an The Knights called for an eight-hour workdayeight-hour workday, supported , supported the the use of arbitrationuse of arbitration AND AND began to organize strikesbegan to organize strikes..

Haymarket Riot

Haymarket Riot

Homestead Strike

Homestead Strike

Pullman Strike

Nationwide conflict Nationwide conflict between labor unions between labor unions

and railroads that and railroads that occurred near Chicago occurred near Chicago

in 1894. in 1894. Following the firing of Following the firing of union workers, Debs union workers, Debs

organized a strike that organized a strike that shut down the nation’s shut down the nation’s

railroads and threatened railroads and threatened the economy.the economy.

Pullman Strike

Union membership declined as many people saw Union membership declined as many people saw unions as being Un-American and violentunions as being Un-American and violent

Impact of union strikes

IWW (Wobblies)The International Workers of the World (IWW) is the union

created in Chicago in 1905 that was made up primarily of

socialists and anarchists

The IWW The IWW called for called for all all workers to be workers to be united as a united as a

class and no class and no wage systemwage system