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Lowell Factory Girls

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- Textile mill, Lowell, Massachusetts - few opportunities to express discontentment regarding working conditions. Was one example of inhumane labor conditions in America during the Industrial Revolution., - Francis Cabot Lowell est. factory in 1814 at Waltham, Massachusetts. First factory in the world to manufacture cotton cloth by power machinery in a building. - Lowell opened a chaperoned boarding house of the girls who worked in his factory. Hired unmarried women: lower wage, they wouldn't be distracted by domestic duties, needed money

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National Labor Union

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1866 - established by William Sylvis - wanted 8hr work days, banking reform, and an end to conviction labor - attempt to unite all laborers

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William Sylvis

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Leader of the National Labor Union.

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Knights of Labor

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1st effort to create National union. Open to everyone but lawyers and bankers. Vague program, no clear goals, weak leadership and organization. Failed

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Terence V. Powderly

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Knights of Labor leader, opposed strikes, producer-consumer cooperation, temperance, welcomed blacks and women (allowing segregation)

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Mother Jones

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A dressmaker in Chicago until a fire destroyed her business. She then devoted her life to the cause of workers. Supported striking railroad workers in Pittsburgh, and traveled around the country organizing coal miners and campaigning for improved working conditions. Helped pave the way for reform.

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American Federation of Labor

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Founded in 1886; a union for skilled laborers that fought for worker rights in a non-violent way. It provided skilled laborers with a union that was unified, large, and strong.

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Samuel Gompers

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United States labor leader (born in England) who was president of the American Federation of Labor from 1886 to 1924 (1850-1924)

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Great Railroad Strike

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July, 1877 - A large number of railroad workers went on strike because of wage cuts. After a month of strikes, President Hayes sent troops to stop the rioting. The worst railroad violence was in Pittsburgh, with over 40 people killed by militia men.

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Pullman Strike

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1894 railway workers strike for higher wages against the Pullman Company, in which President Grover Cleveland issued an injunction (a court order to stop something) to prevent the strike.

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Homestead Strike

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- 1892; It was one of the most violent strikes in U.S. history. - It was against the Homestead Steel Works, which was part of the Carnegie Steel Company, in Pennsylvania in retaliation against wage cuts - The riot was ultimately put down by Pinkerton Police and the state militia, and the violence further damaged the image of unions.

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Haymarket Riot

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- May 4, 1886, Haymarket Square, Chicago police advanced on a meeting called to protest alleged brutalities by authorities - A dynamite bomb was thrown and killed dozens of people - The Knights of Labor were blamed for incident at Haymarket Square and as a result, lost public support.

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Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

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- "Wobblies" - Radical union founded in 1905 aimed to unite the American working class into one union to promote labor's interests - It worked to organize unskilled and foreign-born laborers, advocated social revolution, and led several major strikes. Stressed solidarity.

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Eugene V. Debs

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Leader of the American Railway Union, he voted to aid workers in the Pullman strike. He was jailed for six months for disobeying a court order after the strike was over.

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In re Debs ("In the Matter of Debs")

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Supreme Court approved use of court injunctions against strikes which gave employers a very powerful weapon to break unions; Debs later turned to the American Socialist Party in 1900

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Pinkerton Detective Agency

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Private security force that specialized in anti-union activities; businesses' tool to break apart strikes

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Progress and Poverty

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Written by Henry George, critical of entreprenuers, after studying poverty in America, determined that rich didn't pay fair share of taxes and proposed "Single Tax" on incremental value of land

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Ellis Island

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Immigration processing center that open in New York Harbor in 1892

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Social Gospel

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A movement in the late 1800s / early 1900s which emphasized charity and social responsibility as a means of salvation., movement that began in Protestant churches in the late nineteenth century to apply the teachings of the Bible to the problems of the industrial age; led by Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch, it aroused the interest of many clergymen in securing social justice for the urban poor. The thinking of Jane Addams, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and other secular reformers was influenced by the movement as well.

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Jacob Coxey

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Populist who led Coxey's Army in a march on Washington DC in 1894 to seek government jobs for the unemployed.

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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

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- one of the largest industrial disasters - 146 garment workers, most of them women, died in a fire in New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911 - Died because the doors were locked and the windows were too high for them to get to the ground. - Dramatized the poor working conditions and let to federal regulations to protect workers.

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Socialist Party of America

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This political party formed in 1901 with a strong representation from immigrants and provided a political outlet for worker grievances, but fared poorly beyond a few local elections in industrial areas.

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Looking Backwards

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By Edward Bellamy's utopian novel, Sold 1 million copies. It told of a young Bostonian who fell asleep and woke up in the year 2000 to find a perfect social order.

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The Molly Maguires

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secretive Irish union of coal miners in Pennsylvania that were willing to use violence against mine owners for their causes, a group of workers who used violence to try to improve dangerous working conditions and anti-Irish sentiment in the PA coalfields

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John P. Altgeld

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He was the progressive Democratic governor of Illinois who in 1893 pardoned those convicted in the Haymarket affair and in 1894 refused to break up the Pullman Strike

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Injunction

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the term for a court order that requires a party or person to cease doing something as in a union striking

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Yellow-dog Contract

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an agreement between an employer and an employee in which the employee agrees, as a condition of employment, not to be a member of a labor union

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William "Big Bill" Haywood

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a founding member of the IWW and the Socialist Party who was involved in several important labor battles, including the Colorado Labor Wars and the Lawrence textile strike and was jailed in 1917 under the Espionage Ac

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Helen Keller

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was the American author, political activist, and lecturer who was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a member of the Socialist Party of America and IWW

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Lawrence Textile Strike

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a strike of immigrant workers in Massachusetts in 1912 led by the Industrial Workers of the World sometimes called the "Bread and Roses" strike

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Department of Labor (1913)

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government agency was created in 1913 under President Taft to help mediate disputes between workers and owners and regulate work place conditions

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Steel Strike of 1919

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post-WWI strike, the greatest in American history, led by the AFL that eventually failed under the pressure of the Red Scare

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Congress of Industrial Organizations

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a federation of North American industrial unions that merged with the American Federation of Labor in 1955

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Wagner Act

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1935, also National Labor Relations Act; granted rights to unions; allowed collective bargaining

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organized labor

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Workers unite within a trade, industry, or workforce to achieve common goals

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unions

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- Union leadership negotiates on behalf of un ion worker members with owners/managers - Common goals include: higher wages, benefits, improved working conditions

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Tactics of Labor Unions

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Collective bargaining - uniting as a group to arbitrate with owners/managers over demands Political action and efficacy - informed union members of government officials and policies affecting labor Picketing - assemble in front of workplaces to protest ownership Strikes - organized walkouts until demands met Boycotts - cease buying particular goods/services Slowdowns - deliberately slow down production and efficiency until demands me

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Tactics of Owners/Managers Against Unions

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Public relations - use public media to promote ownership and denounce unions as socialist, anarchist, or un-American Lockouts - shut down workplace, thus not paying workers Scabs - replacement workers Blacklists - publicized lists of union members to prevent hiring Yellow-dog contracts - workers offered employment if they do not join unions Government authorities/private security - call upon police force to break up strikes as threats to public interest and owner safety Court injunctions - use of court system to force employees back to work or face criminal/civil penalties

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Mechanics' Trade Union Association (1927)

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First labor union to include different trades

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Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

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Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled labor unions are legal organizations and had the right to strike

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National Labor Union (NLU) (1866)

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- One of the first major national labor organizations - Favored arbitration over strikes - Platform: 8-hour workday, higher wages, monetary reform, and cooperatives - Secured 8-hour workday for federal employees - Offered membership to women, blacks, unskilled workers

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Great Railroad Strike of 1877

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- Railroad companies cut wages in response to Panic of 1873 - Railroad workers strike against Baltimore and Ohio Railroads leading to strikes across the northeast - Strikes become violent and deadly and federal troops are called in for the first time to police a labor dispute - Leads to negative public reaction to unions

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Knights of Labor (1869)

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- Founded in 1869 under leadership of Terence Powderly, but became "public" in 1881 - Platform: Higher wages, cooperatives, an ti-trusts, child labor laws, Arbitration, education, and cooperation as a means of meeting demands - Members included blacks, women, skilled, unskilled, and immigrants except Asians - Endorsed Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - Developed communal services and events to promote solidarity and organization - Early strike successes against railroads, miners, and other manufacturers

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Haymarket Riot (May 4, 1888)

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- May Day celebration and 8-hour workday strike in Chicago led to police killing 4 people - Bomb thrown in crowd on Commemoration of May Day killings where police officers were killed - Led to a police riot - blame placed on anarchists and Knights of Labor and other unions mislabeled as anarchists - led to negative public reaction to unions and lost membership and strength of the Knights of labor

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American Federation of Labor (AFL) (1886)

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- Formed in lieu of failing Knights of Labor and negative perception of unions after the Haymarket Riot under Samuel Gompers - Platform: Established like a federation granting autonomy to the various craft/trade organizations linked to the AFL - Focused on practical and realistic goals centered on workers rather than including social- based reforms - Higher wages, shorter working h ours, improved working conditions - Limited involvement with political associations or parties - consisted mostly of skilled workers in various trades - generally excluded unskilled workers, women, blacks, immigrants

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Homestead Strike (1892)

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- Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (AA) attempted to collective bargain with Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick - Negotiations fell through over wage cuts and Frick instigated a lockout of the steelworkers - Other unions launched strikes to support the locked out steelworkers in Homestead - Frick hired Pinkerton detectives to enforce lockout and are met with violence by strikers - Ownership weakens strikes with injunctions and criminal prosecutions - Leads to weakening of labor unions

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Pullman Strike (1894)

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- Pullman car workers instigated a strike in response to wage cuts - Led to a boycott by Eugene V. Debs on all Pullman cars (railroads) - Pullman owners used Sherman Anti-Trust Act to file federal injunction against union strikers - Debs continued strike and federal troops sent in leading to violence and arrests - Debs, Supreme Court found injunction constitutional

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Coal Strike of 1902

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- United Mine Workers hold a strike against anthracite mine owners in Pennsylvania - President Theodore Roosevelt brokers a compromise between workers and owners for higher wages, shorter hours for the sake of public interest - Despite worker gains, the union was not considered a bargaining agent

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Woman's Trade Union League (1903)

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- AFL-linked labor union support organization made of working-class and middle-class women - Provided social education and relief support for working-class women and supported strikes and pickets

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Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) (1905)

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- aka the Wobblies - William "Big Bill" Haywood was a strong and direct leader - First such labor organization of industrial unionism, meaning workers of all skills and of all trades within an industry as opposed to craft unionism which limited union membership to a particular trade/craft within an industry and/or social class - Included socialists, anarchists, radicals which general public and government considered threatening - Direct action included conventional strikes, sit-down strikes, boycotts, sabotage, slowdowns, work to rule, violence by some radical members - Membership granted to blacks, women, and immigrants

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Massachusetts minimum wage law (1912)

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- Establishes first minimum wage law in the nation

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Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914)

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- Protects labor unions from Sherman Anti-Trust Act

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Keating-Owen Act/Child Labor Act (1916)

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- Prohibited sale of goods manufactured by children through interstate commerce - Ruled unconstitutional in Hammer v. Dagenhart

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Adamson Act (1916)

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- Establishes 8-hour workday for railroad workers and overtime compensation

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National War Labor Board during World War I

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- Arbitrated labor disputes to facilitate economic production during war and avoid strikes and other labor disturbances - Almost doubled membership for unions given pro-labor decisions

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Strikes of 1919

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- Production of wartime economy dramatically shifted to peacetime economy reducing economic expansion leading to cuts in profits, wages, and employment - Effects of war and panic led to massive national distrust of unions, especially in the midst of the First Red Scare - Massive and violent strikes occurred throughout nation among police officers, telephone operators, steel workers, and coal miners - Federal government and American press and public denounced unions and violence related to strikes fueling mass hysteria of possible revolution - Led to a more pro-business mentality and reduced support and membership of unions

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Norris-La Guardia Act (1932)

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- Prohibited companies from using yellow-dog contracts and injunctions against nonviolent strikes

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FDR's New Deal

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established federal-based projects to increase employment across the nation

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Public Works Administration (PWA) (New Deal)

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provided funds for states and local governments to build public work projects

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Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) (New Deal)

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employed young men to work on federal lands, especially agricultural projects

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Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (New Deal)

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Develop regional infrastructure; dams

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National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) & National Recovery Act (NRA) (New Deal)

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established codes for wages, profits, hours of work, and prices and allowed workers to unionize and collective bargaining. Declared unconstitutional by Schechter v. United States

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Civil Works Administration (CWA) (New Deal)

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Put ~4 million people to work on temporary projects - roads, schools, parks, etc.

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Works Progress Administration (WPA) (New Deal)

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launched a massive federal works project across the nation

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Wagner Act/National Labor Relations Act (1935)

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- Guaranteed the right to join unions, the right to collective bargaining, and prohibited unfair business practices against unions such as blacklists, company unions, discrimination

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Social Security Act (1935)

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- Federal insurance program designed to collect in come from owners and employees for a trust fund to provide financial assistance for elderly over 65, unemployment compensation, disabled, and dependent

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Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

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- Established a federal minimum wage, maximum 40 hour workweek, overtime at time and a half, child labor laws for under 16 years old

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Fair Employment Practices Committee (1941)

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- Assist minorities to gain employment in industries

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Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) (1935)

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- Industrial unions combined to form the CIO to provide union membership and benefits for all employees, including unskilled and minorities - Under leadership of John L. Lewis - Became a chief rival of the AFL

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World War II Effects

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- Office of Price Administration (OPA) - Froze prices and wages to prevent inflation and economic contraction amidst massive economic production and expansion - unions agreed to avoid strikes in respect to war effort - Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act (1943) allowed federal government to nationalize an industry if threatened with strikes during the war

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Truman and Postwar Strikes

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- Massive strikes after the war in demand for wage increases threatened national security - Truman seized mines and used federal troops to operate mines - Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) - Ruled President Truman's seizure of steel production facilities in an attempt to break a strike was unconstitutional

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Taft-Hartley Act (1947)

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- Developed under a pro-business and anti-union Republican Congress - Outlawed closed shops which forced workers to join unions before being hired - Permit states to pass "right to work" laws prohibiting workers forced to join unions after being hired - Prohibited secondary boycotts in support of initial strikes - Authorized president for 80-day cooling off period before a general strike is called

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Landrum-Griffin Act (1959)

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- Designed to prevent corruption and promote democratic processes - Union elections must be held every 3-5 years - A bill of rights for union members - File financial reports for public and government review - Prohibited picketing by one union if another union recognized - Secondary boycotts strictly prohibited

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United Farm Workers (UFW) and Cesar Chavez (1960s-1970s)

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In 1975, collective bargaining rights recognized for farm workers

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Reagan and Unions (1980s)

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- PATCO (air traffic controllers union) launched a strike for double wages, bonuses, early retirement, and reduced work hours - Reagan fired most of the controllers and were replaced with backups and military controllers - PATCO dissolved and indicated general decline of private sector union membership and strength

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