The Rise of New Unions

Angela Brown

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Bellringer 4:

Discuss several ways that workers at a fast-food restaurant might react if they were forced to work longer hours without additional pay.

Which of their options include collective bargaining?

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Gulf Between Rich and Poor

Richest 9% of Americans held nearly 75% of national wealth.

Average worker earned a few hundred dollars a year.

Many poor drawn to political action and socialism.

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Socialism

Socialism – an economic and political philosophy that favors public control of property and income

wealth should be distributed to everyone Began in 1830s as an idealistic movement cooperation not competition in producing

goods

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Communist Manifesto

Grew more radical German philosopher Karl Marx along with

Fredrick Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848

It denounced the capitalist economic system and predicted that workers would one day overturn it.

Americans opposed it – threat to fortunes, public order, and American ideals: private property, free enterprise and individual liberty.

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Early Unions

Early years of Industrialization = Trade Unions Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers

(Shoemakers) – founded in 1794 Philadelphia the strongest – lasted until 1806 – outlawed for engaging in a strike

1827 – mechanics’ Union of Trade Societies – several Philadelphia craft groups joined to form – idea spread

1934 – 21,000 members organized the National Trades Union – open to all crafts = the first national labor organization – destroyed in 1837 by panic and depression.

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The Knights of Labor and the AFL Unions

a.       Despite the difficulties they faced, unions grew in membership and strength during the late 1800s.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAknights.htm

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The most influential labor organization was the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor. Founded in 1869

They attempted to bring skilled and unskilled workers, as well as women and workers of all races, into one big union.

http://www.takver.com/history/secsoc02.htm8

a.       Terence Powderly led the Knights of Labor after 1879.

He persuaded the Knights to support equal pay for women, temperance, abolition of child labor, and the establishment of cooperatively owned industrial plants.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/18490/mcms.html9

Membership in the Knights soared from 100,000 in 1885 to 700,000 in under a year.  

The knights soon ran into trouble, however. The union ran into financial difficulties and ultimately failed to unite its diverse members to focus on common goals.

http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/haymarket_photos.html10

Haymarket Riot

May 1, National demonstration for eight hour work day = strikes in many cities

May 3, Chicago’s McCormick reaper factory a fight between workers and scabs = several casualties due to police action.

Scab – a worker called in by an employer to replace striking workers – negative term

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Anarchists

Union leaders called for a protest rally May 4th at Chicago’s Haymarket Square – anarchists joined the strikers

Someone threw a bomb killing seven police officers – gunfire on both sides killed dozens

Never found out who threw the bomb Eight anarchists tried for conspiracy to commit

murder.

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http://www.chicagohistory.org/dramas/

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http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/haymarket/Haymarke.htm 14

Results

Four hanged, 1 suicide - remaining three later pardoned by governor – believed convicted by public outrage rather than evidence

Anarchist remained heroes to unionist – vicious criminals to employers

Results: American public came to view unions with violence and radical ideas

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The American Federation of Labor

Lead by London born cigar maker- Samuel Gompers – Formed in 1886

Organized only skilled labor into smaller unions by specific craft

By 1892 = 250,000 members Found ways to exclude African Americans – few

were skilled Women were not welcome – would drive wages

down

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b.       In 1886, The American Federation of Labor (AFL), another large union, organized. The AFL accepted only skilled workers and indicated a reluctance to accept women and minorities.

Samuel Gompers is shown here with other mining leaders who went to Washington to express their opposition to government intervention in a coal strike. Gompers is the third man from the right.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/11186/mcms.html

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a.       Samual Gompers led the AFL. He preached such goals as higher wages, shorter hours, and benefits for disabled workers.

b.       Due to effective organization and leadership, the AFL thrived. Between 1890 and 1900, its membership rose from 190, 000 to 500,000.

Samuel Gompers is shown here as he testifies before the Federal Commission on Industrial Relations in New York City.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/13462/mcms.html

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Strategies

Focused on wages, hours, and working conditions Relied on economic pressure – strikes and

boycotts Attempted to force collective bargaining Process of negotiation of workers as a group with

the employer To strengthen collective bargaining pressed for

“closed shop” – hiring of only union workers

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Samuel Gompers

http://encarta.msn.com/media_461522963/Samuel_Gompers.html20

Wobblies

Industrial workers of the world (IWW) founded in 1905 in Chicago by 43 groups opposed to the AFL.

Focused on unskilled labor – many socialists in leadership = violent strikes

Helen Keller

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Employers

Took measures to stop unions:– Forbade union meetings

– Fired union organizers

– Forced employers to sign “yellow dog” contracts – promise to never join a union or participate in a strike

– Refused to bargain collectively when strikes occurred

– Refused to recognize unions as worker’s legitimate representatives

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The Railroad Strike of 1877

First major U.S. strike occurred in the railroad industry.

Began July 4, 1877 – Baltimore and Ohio Railroad announced a 10% wage cut – 2nd wage cut in eight months.

Ordered to run “double headers” – trains with two engines and twice as many cars – increased the risk of accidents and the chance of worker layoffs

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Federal Troops Used

Railway workers rioted in Baltimore – spread to Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and other cities

President Hayes sent federal troops to put down the strike for the first time in history.

A week later soldiers fired on rioters in Pittsburgh and wounded many – 20,000 rioters then set fire to railroad company property = $5 million in damage – federal troops sent again

From 1877 on employers relied on the federal government to repress labor unrest.

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II. The Pullman Strike

George Pullman, sleeping car maker, built a town for his workers near Chicago

Considered himself a caring industrialist

http://encarta.msn.com/media_461520841/Pullman_Strike.html

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Panic of 1893 = Pullman forced to lay off workers and cut wages 25%

He kept rent and food prices the sameDelegation of workers protested – Pullman

fired three = local union strikePullman refused to bargain and shut down

the plant

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In 1893, Eugene Debs formed the American Railway Union. It included all types of railroad workers, from conductors, firemen, and engineers to telegraph operators and station clerks.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/5528/mcms.html27

Boycott

a.       In 1894, thousands of workers for the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike over layoffs and wage cuts.

The American Railway Union took up the Pullman workers’ cause.

The union called for members to refuse to work on any train that included a Pullman car.

Within five days, 100,000 railroad workers had walked off the job.

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These three photographs of burned freight cars during the Pullman strike were originally published in Harper's Weekly on July 28, 1894.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/13622/mcms.html

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Don’t Interfere with the Mail

120,000 joined – instructed by Debs not to interfere with the mail

Strikes completely disrupted Western Railroad traffic including delivery of mail.

Attorney General, Richard Olney got a court order forbidding all union activity that halted railroad traffic. – Sherman Anti—Trust Act

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Debs Jailed

With railway traffic paralyzed, the federal government stepped in.

The government obtained an injunction forbidding the union to continue the strike.

Debs refused to obey the injunction and was imprisoned.

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Federal Troops Again

President Cleveland sent 2500 federal troops to see order obeyed – strike ended in two weeks

Set an important pattern – factory owners court orders against unions

Government regulation would deny unions recognition as legally protected organizations

limited union gains for 30 years.

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Federal troops pose on top of a Pullman engine, after being sent to Chicago to restore order during the Pullman railroad workers strike.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/1203/mcms.html

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http://www.jdhodges.com/posters/images-of-labor-eugene-v-debs-poster-333940.html

a.       Without Debs’s leadership, however, the Pullman strike collapsed, as did the American Railway Union. From that point on, employers often used the injunction as a means of breaking up strikes.

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Homestead Strike 1892

Andrew Carnegie in Europe when partner Henry Frick tried to cut worker’s wages at Carnegie Steel (Pennsylvania)

Union called a strikeFrick called in the Pinkertons, a private

police force known for ability to break strikes.

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Pinkertons

300 Pinkertons on barges = shootout with strikers on shore – several died

Public sided with workers until anarchist Alexander Berkman tried to assassinate Frick.

He was not part of the strike but people associated his act with labor violence.

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Results

Union, defeated, called off strike – Homestead reopened under militia protection

Carnegie believed in unions and their right to strike as long as non violent.

Carnegie Steel and successor U.S. steel remained ununionized until the late 1930s.

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b.       Despite increased union membership, by 1900 most working people remained unorganized—only 4 percent of American workers belonged to unions.

“I don't want you to follow me or anyone else. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I could lead you in, somebody else would lead you out."

Eugene V. Debs

http://www.creativequotations.com/one/1936.htm38

c.       Nonetheless, unions had made some strides in the late 1800s. Wages began to increase slowly, and the workday shortened.

In addition, nearly every state passed laws regulating working conditions and requiring minimum standards of health and safety.

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