1. Labor UnionsBy Madison McLeod and Amber Jamison
2. Affects of the Growing IndustrialRevolution During the
Industrial Revolution (1800s) American society shifted from a
predominately agricultural based lifestyle to an urban based
system, heavily reliant upon wage labor. In the 1800s urbanization
increased, and therefore people began to see wage labor as their
source of income for necessities. Apprenticeship was no longer
rampant in America as inventions and factories became a larger part
of American life. Because of this fact, the employer could accept
many untrained workers instead of training them for years as an
apprentice.
3. Industrial Revolutionmtholyoke.edu
4. Who are the Laborers? Children under the age of ten were a
significant portion of the American Labor system. For example, in
Samuel Slaters mill the first laborers were nine children all under
the age of twelve. Factories would employ young and old, African
American, White, and Immigrant workers. It was common to see women
working in factories most likely in sewing circles.
5. Children Factory Workerssaswesternciv3a.pbworks.com
6. Immigrations Influence Irish immigrants poured into the
states after a devastating potato famine hit their homeland in the
mid 1840s German immigrants migrated to America due to the collapse
in their home government and their craving for democracy. American
factory workers resented the heavy flow of immigration because of
the competition it created for the factory jobs. (American
factories did not require much experience, and the employers would
hire almost anyone)
7. German
Immigrantsamericanrealismandimmigration.wikispaces.com
8. Factory Life The average work day was 12-14 hours, however
it could reach up to 19 hours per day Factories were poorly lit and
heated. Machinery was very dangerous due to moving parts that the
laborers had to maneuver through (high death rates). Children
brutally whipped, often in a whipping room Wages were exceptionally
low, especially for the number of hours worked per day
9. Factory Conditionssaburchill.com
10. Employers Under the domestic system of apprenticeship,
employers would become friendly and close to their employees due to
the small number and the training the employees for multiple years.
In the factory system the employer would have hundreds of workers
doing simple tasks that required little to no experience. Employees
were easily replaced.
11. Strikers Conditions They had ambitions such as a ten hour
work day, higher wages, and more sufficient working conditions that
would benefit all ages. They requested education for their children
as well as heartless disciplinary action such as imprisonment on
account of the laborers debt.
12. Specific Unions The National Labor Union was formed in 1866
to persuade congress to pass an 8 hour day for federal workers The
Knights of Labor was formed in 1869 by Uriah Stephens to emphasize
the importance of a skilled worker compared to an unskilled worker.
The American Federation of Labor was founded by Samuel Gompers in
1886 to benefit skilled workers.
13. Strike posterjonesview.wordpress.com
14. Violent Strikes Children employed in the silk mills in
Paterson, New Jersey go on strike in pursuit of an 11 hour work day
6 days a week (1835). In 1831, 1600 members of the United
Tailoresses of New York revolt for higher wages. In 1824, in
Pawtucket Rhode Island, 102 women go on strike against increasing
hours and decreasing wages. (1st women strike)
15. Women Strikingen.wikipedia.org
16. Commonwealth vs. Hunt In 1842, the problem arose when an
employer threatened to fire an employee who had supposedly broken
the rules in his factory (he was also fearing a strike). The judge,
Lemuel Shaw decided that the labor unions have a right to open
their own closed shops, overall legalizing the idea of a labor
union.
17. Labor Change from 1830-1860 Labor unions existed before
1800, but increased during the Industrial Revolution time period.
Only 24 strikes occurred before 1835 Striking boomed in the 1840s
especially after Commonwealth vs. Hunt
18. Sources http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_Industrial
_Revolution_effect_the_labor_unions
Invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_clo
th/u2ei/u2materials/eitessay.html
http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/IndustrialRevolut
ion/workingconditions.htm
Socialstudieshelp.com/Eco_Unionization.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1289
64/Commonwealth-v-Hunt Clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/timeline-US.htm The
American Pageant (13th addition)