Gilded Age: Unionization

Chapter 6-4

Objective #1

• Explain the effects of industrialization in the United States in the 18th century.– Changes in work and the workplace.– Immigration and child labor and their

impact on the labor force.

Objective #2

• Explain the effects of industrialization on work and the workplace.

Objective #3

• Explain the impact of child labor and immigration on the work force in the 18th century.

Objective #4

• Analyze the reasons for the rise and growth of labor organizations in the United States (Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, Congress of Industrial Organizations) including:– Unregulated working conditions– Laissez-faire policies toward big business– Violence toward supporters of organized labor

The Changing American

Labor Force

The Changing American

Labor Force

By 1880, 5 million people worked in factories. What were the working

conditions like?• Unsafe: 1882 - ____________ workers killed/week• Low wages:

– Men averaged $_____ a year (1899)– Women averaged $_____ a year (1899)

• Long hours: 12 hr. days/6 days per wk.• Unsafe machinery• ______________________________• Workers had few rights• Workers were easily replaced.

Workers Protest

• As companies pooled their strength, workers realized they needed to as well for their voice to be heard.

• Hidden protests: work slow downs, sick days, disciplining the “over-achiever”

• Increased use of the strike in the late 19th c.

Unionization Nationally

• Unionization movement began again after Civil War.

• 1866: _____________________________– _________________ members by early 1870s– Several labor unions combined into large national

union– _____________________________ also included– Call for _________ hour day– Disagreements and Depression of 1873 killed it.

Knights of LaborKnights of Labor

Terence V. Terence V. PowderlyPowderly

An injury to one is the concern of An injury to one is the concern of all!all!

Goals of the Knights of Labor

Goals of the Knights of Laborù _____________________ workday._____________________ workday.

ù Abolition of ___________________ Abolition of ___________________ labor.labor.

ù Equal pay for Equal pay for _____________________._____________________.

ù ____________________ in the ____________________ in the workplace.workplace.

ù Prohibition of contract foreign Prohibition of contract foreign labor.labor.

ù Open to all laborers except for Open to all laborers except for the idle and corruptthe idle and corrupt

The American Federation

of Labor: 1886

The American Federation

of Labor: 1886

Samuel GompersSamuel Gompers

How the AF of L Would Help the

Workers

How the AF of L Would Help the

Workersù Catered to the ____________________ Catered to the ____________________ worker.worker.

ù Mediated disputes between management and Mediated disputes between management and labor labor (___________________________________).(___________________________________).

ù Pushed for Pushed for ____________________________________________________..

ù Used the strike to its advantageUsed the strike to its advantage

ù Saw average workweek drop from Saw average workweek drop from 54 hours a week to 49 hours a 54 hours a week to 49 hours a weekweek

ù Saw pay increase from $17.50 a Saw pay increase from $17.50 a week to $24.week to $24.

AFL Grows

• 1900: ___________________ members

• Rejected ________________________

The SocialistsThe Socialists

Eugene V. DebsEugene V. Debs

International Workers of the World (“Wobblies”)

International Workers of the World (“Wobblies”)

“Big Bill” Haywood of the

IWW

“Big Bill” Haywood of the

IWW

Violence was Violence was justified to justified to overthrow overthrow capitalism.capitalism.

Mother Jones: “The Miner’s Angel”

Mother Jones: “The Miner’s Angel”

Mary Harris.Mary Harris.

Organizer for theOrganizer for theUnited MineUnited MineWorkers.Workers.

One of the One of the founding members founding members of the I. W. W. in of the I. W. W. in 19051905..

Led Led _________________________________________ to ___________ to White House in White House in 19031903

Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

Great Railroad Strike (1877)

• Nationwide railroad strike over __________________

• Workers destroyed railroad property

• Federal troops sent in• ________________ die• Business leaders saw

this as the beginning of a _________________

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Haymarket Riot (1886)

Haymarket Riot (1886)

McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

Haymarket Riot (1886)

• Chicago police try to disperse

• Bomb explodes killing 7 police

• Eight anarchists tried and convicted (3 were executed)

• Businesses now try to crush unions

• Hurt unionization in mainstream America--linked to ________________

Haymarket MartyrsHaymarket Martyrs

End of Knights of Labor

• Haymarket fear, disagreements over membership of blacks and women, unauthorized strikes killed the Knights of Labor by 1890s

Homestead Steel Strike

(1892)

Homestead Steel Strike

(1892)

The Amalgamated The Amalgamated Association of Association of

Iron & Steel WorkersIron & Steel Workers

Homestead Steel Homestead Steel WorksWorks

Homestead Strike (1892)

• Owned by ____________________

• Carnegie locked out workers when they refused a wage decrease

• Armed guards and fences protected the building

• Gun battle brought in 8000 troops to crush the strike and the union

The Pullman Strike of 1894

The Pullman Strike of 1894

Pullman Strike (1894)

• Pullman required workers live in a _____________________________.

• 1893: Pullman cuts wages by 1/3, laid off workers and did not cut rents and prices

• Demanded increased output• Pullman union leader was

_____________________________

Pullman (1894) Continued

• Major strike and sympathy strikes

• Pullman Co. and Railroad companies ask federal government to get court injunction to end strike

• _________________________ sent in troops to enforce injunction

Violence at Pullman

• Violence burning of cars, $340,000 in damage, death

• Strike collapses and several leaders were arrested

• Supreme Court ruled in 1895 injunctions to stop strikes were illegal

Working Class Setbacks

• Workers lost many battles– Owners often supported by

_____________________________________– Use of _________________________– Unskilled workers could be replaced– Economic depressions in 1873 and 1893

• But workers kept organizing– Over _____________________________ by 1914

The “Formul

a”

The “Formul

a”

unions unions + violence + strikes + socialists + violence + strikes + socialists + immigrants immigrants = anarchists anarchists

Women in Workplace

• 5 million by 1900, 8.5 million by 1920

• Ignored by most unions (________% in unions in 1920)

• ______________________________ founded in 1903

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

• Many women in NYC garment industry– 16-25 yrs old, of Italian or

Jewish descent– 56-hr weeks– $6/week

• Over 600 shirtwaist factories employed 30,000 workers

• Conditions: overcrowding, women renting machines, paying for electricity, breaks minimized, safety shortcuts due to costs

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Women strike!

• 1909: Women want better pay, working conditions, don’t want to pay costs

• Mass strike in 1909

• Strikers fired, arrested, etc.

• ________________________t support of factories meant they did very little to improve working conditions

Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910

Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910

Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910

Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910

Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910

Women Voting for a Strike!Women Voting for a Strike!

Arresting the Girl Strikersfor Picketing

Arresting the Girl Strikersfor Picketing

Triangle Shirtwaist FactoryAsch Building, 8th and 10th Floors

Triangle Shirtwaist FactoryAsch Building, 8th and 10th Floors

Inside the Building After the FireInside the Building After the Fire

Dead Bodies on the SidewalkDead Bodies on the Sidewalk

Out of the AshesOut of the Ashes __________ membership

surged.

New strict ___________ werepassed.

Tougher ________________ ofsweatshops.

Growing momentum of support for women’s __________________.