The Need for Labor UnionsThe Need for Labor Unionsoriginality and creativity were stifled in the originality and creativity were stifled in the factory systemfactory system

less value is placed on manual skillsless value is placed on manual skills

workers are expendable in the depersonalized workers are expendable in the depersonalized world of the corporationworld of the corporation

directors work to please stockholders, not directors work to please stockholders, not employeesemployees

machines displace workersmachines displace workers

wage earners are handicapped by a glutted wage earners are handicapped by a glutted labor marketlabor market

Union DisadvantagesUnion Disadvantagesemployers pool wealth to employ lawyers, the employers pool wealth to employ lawyers, the press, and politicians to support their sidepress, and politicians to support their sidecorporations import strikebreakers to violently corporations import strikebreakers to violently end work stoppagesend work stoppagesfederal courts headed by conservative judges federal courts headed by conservative judges side with big businessside with big businessemployers use “lockouts,” “yellow-dog employers use “lockouts,” “yellow-dog contracts” and “black lists” to target leaderscontracts” and “black lists” to target leaderscompany towns sink workers into perpetual company towns sink workers into perpetual debtdebtthe middle-class public sees strikes as socialist the middle-class public sees strikes as socialist and unpatrioticand unpatriotic

Early DevelopmentEarly Development

National Labor Union (1886-72)National Labor Union (1886-72)

included 600,000 skilled, unskilled, and farmersincluded 600,000 skilled, unskilled, and farmers

excluded the Chineseexcluded the Chinese

made only nominal efforts to include women made only nominal efforts to include women and blacksand blacks

agitated for the arbitration of industrial disputes agitated for the arbitration of industrial disputes and the 8-hour workdayand the 8-hour workday

derailed by the devastating depression of the derailed by the devastating depression of the 1870s1870s

Knights of LaborBlack delegate Frank J. Farrell introduces Terence V. Powderly, head of the Knights of Labor, at the organization's 1886 convention. The Knights were unusual in accepting both black and female workers. (Library of Congress)

Knights of Labor Knights of Labor (1869-86)(1869-86)

began as a began as a secret societysecret society

went public to went public to forestall forestall reprisals by reprisals by employers employers (1881)(1881)

Management and LaborThis cartoon, from Puck, April 7, 1886, shows Terence Powderly, in the center, advocating the position of the Knights of Labor on arbitration. The Knights urged that labor and management (identified here as "capital") should settle their differences this way, rather than by striking. Note how the cartoonist has depicted labor and management as of equal size, and given both of them a large weapon; management's club is labeled "monopoly" and labor's hammer is called "strikes." In fact, labor and management were rarely equally matched when it came to labor disputes in the late nineteenth century.

Knights of Knights of Labor (1869-86)Labor (1869-86)

campaigned for campaigned for social and social and economic reformeconomic reformpushed for codes pushed for codes of safety and of safety and healthhealthKnights become Knights become involved in series involved in series of May Day strikes of May Day strikes (1886)(1886)Haymarket Square Haymarket Square episode episode undermines the undermines the group (May 4, group (May 4, 1886)1886)

American Federation of Labor American Federation of Labor (AF of L) - 1886(AF of L) - 1886

high-class craft unionists – less vulnerable to high-class craft unionists – less vulnerable to strikebreakers – formed their own unionstrikebreakers – formed their own union

brainchild of Samuel Gompers, president of the brainchild of Samuel Gompers, president of the organization (1886-1924)organization (1886-1924)

an association of self-governing national unions an association of self-governing national unions that bonded on overall strategythat bonded on overall strategy

used the boycott and walkout to fight for better used the boycott and walkout to fight for better wages, hours, conditions, and the closed shopwages, hours, conditions, and the closed shop

public attitudes began to change towards the public attitudes began to change towards the group by 1900 (Congress made Labor Day a group by 1900 (Congress made Labor Day a legal holiday in 1894)legal holiday in 1894)