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The Knights of Labor

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This group, which peaked membership in 1886, grew rapidly because of a combination of their open-membership policy, the continuing industrialization of the American economy, and the growth of urban population; welcomed unskilled and semiskilled workers, including women, immigratns, and African Americans; were idealists who believed they could eliminate conflict between labor and managements. Their goal was to create a cooperative society in which laborers owned the industries in which they worked.

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The Industrial Workers of the World

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Led by "Mother" Jones, Elizabeth Flynn, Big Bill Haywood, and Eugene Debs; strove to unite all laborers, including unskilled workers and African Americans; its goal was to create "One Big Union;" embraced the rhetoric of class conflict and endorsed violent tactics; the organization collapsed during WWI.

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The American Federation of Labor

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Led by Samuel Gompers; an alliance of skilled workers in craft unions; concentrated on brea-and-butter issues such as higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions.

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The Great Railroad Strike

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1877, provoked by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's decision to cut wages for the second time in a year; remembered as the first general strike in American history; paralyzed the nation's commerce for 45 days; forced governors in ten states to mobilize 60,000 militia to reopen rail traffic.

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Sherman Antitrust Act

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1890, forbade only unreasonable combinations or contracts in restraint of trade; had little immediate impact on the regulation of large corporations; during the last decade of the nineteenth century, the primary use of the act was to curb labor unions.

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Homestead Strike

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1892, began as a dispute between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (the AA) and the Carnegie Steel Company; The AA refused to accept pay cuts and went on strike in Pennsylvania; the strike ultimately culminated in a battle between strikers and private security guards hired by the company.

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Pullman Strike

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1894, when the national economy fell into a depression, the Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages while maintaining rents and prices in a company town where 12,000 workers lived; halted a substantial portion of American railroad commerce; ended when President Cleveland ordered federal troops to Chicago, ostensibly to protect rail-carried mail, but in reality, to crush the strike.

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The Anthracite Coal Strike

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1902, a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in eastern Pennsylvania; it was arbitrated with the active involvement of President Theodore Roosevelt; this marked the first time the federal government intervened in a labor dispute as a neutral arbitrator.

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Wagner Act

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1935, also known as the National Labor Relations Act; often called the Magna Carta of labor because it ensured workers' right to organize and bargain collectively; led to a dramatic increase in labor union membership.

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The Congress of Industrial Workers

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led by John L. Lewis; organized unskilled and semiskilled factory workers in basic manufacturing industries such as steel and automobiles.

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The Split

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The American Federation of Labor (AFL) split apart at its national convention in 1935; a majority of AFL leaders refused to grant charters to new unions organized on an industry-wide basis; the AFL favored the organization of workers according to their skills and trades; the CIO favored the organization of all workers in a particular industry.

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Taft-Hartley Act

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1947, the primary purpose was to curb the power of labor unions; supporters believed: 1) unions were abusing their power; 2) widespread strikes would endanger the nation's vital defense industries; 3) some labor unions had been infiltrated by Communists; 4) employers were being coerced into hiring union workers; opposed by organized labor.

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United Farm Workers

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organized and led by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Philip Vera Cruz, and Larry Itliong; a union of farm workers; Cesar Chavez is recognized as a significant civil rights leader.

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APUSH – Labor Unions/Laws/Strikes – Flashcards

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