Chap 19 -Gilded Age - Labor, Unions

Tactics used by employers to keep employees in line

* injunctions or orders by the federal court to order strikers to cease; troops could be brought in * lockout - prevent any union member from buying from the stores, going to work, ect. * blacklisting - write down union member names, and pass it around to other employers * scabs or strike breakers - people brought in to break up strikes * Pinkertons - guards; associated Unionists with violence * public relations - advertising negatives about unions

Tactics used by labor unions

* strike * picket line * collective bargaining * boycotts * rallies * walkouts

Knights of Labor

1869 Founded by garment cutters in Philly Terence Powderly --elected Pres of Union in 1879 **Opened union to all laborers across country including women and minorities Not supportive of strikes Used rallies and meetings to win public support Goals: Decrease workday, Demanded an end to child and convict labor, equal pay for women, a progressive income tax, and the cooperative employer- employee ownership of mines and factories. In 1890s membership declines due to a wae of strikes ---Eventually failed and was replaced by AFL due to a number of botched strikes.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

1881 Founded by Samuel Gompers and catered to skilled laborers.Represented skilled workers in various crafts. Samuel Gompers, a practical-minded, Jewish immigrant, was leader. Goals: Higher wages Shorter hours Improved condition Right to collective bargaining * Helped get laws passed that improved working conditions like: long hours, ended child labor, and paying for injuries received on the job. lost power due to violent strikes

Homestead Steel Strike

1892 workers went on strike to protest wage cut at Carnegie Steel Company in Homestead, PA. Managers instituted lockout and hired Pinkertons (guards) to protect plant. Strikers clashed violently with guards. **Governor of Pennsylvania ordered the militia to take control and protect replacement workers.

Pullman Strike

1894 railway workers strike against the Pullman Company. Organized by Eugene V. Debs of the National Railway Union to oppose wage cuts and abuses of the company town system. Debs refused to stop the strike and was jailed **President Grover Cleveland issued an injunction (a court order to stop something) to prevent the strike. Remember: Injunction

IWW - Industrial Workers of the World

1905 (Industrial Workers of the World) A labor organization for unskilled workers, formed by a group of radical unionists and socialists in 1905.

Right to work state

A U.S. state that has passed a law preventing a union and company from negotiating a contract that requires workers to join a union as a condition of employment.

Political Machine

A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity.

Socialism

A social and political philosophy based on the belief that democratic means should be used to evenly distribute wealth throughout a society

Spoils System

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.

Kickback

An arrangement in which contractors padded the amount of their bill for city work and paid, or "kicked back" a percentage of that amount to the political bosses.

Union

An association of workers, formed to bargain for better working conditions and higher wages

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership and on the investment of money in business ventures in order to make a profit.

Strike

An organized work stoppage intended to force an employer to address union demands.

Injunction

Court order to stop an action (in the case of strikes, to stop striking) court order, to stop the union from "obstructing the railways and holding up the mails"

Great Railroad Strike

First nationwide industrial strike and first major strike broken by the U.S. military; propelled the industrial revolution; railroads lowered wage rates and increased labor hours; workers destroyed railroad cars (capital).

Patronage

Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

Wobblies

Haywood was the leader of the Wobblies. The International Workers of the World (Wobblies) were a militant, radical union. They favored socialism & opposed free enterprise. They were disliked by big business & less radical unions

Mother Jones

Mary Harris Jones travelled the country to organize workers Including for the United Mine Workers union

Haymarket Riot

May 4, 1886 100,000 workers rioted in Chicago. After the police fired into the crowd, the workers met and rallied in Haymarket Square to protest police brutality. A bomb exploded, killing or injuring many of the police. The Chicago workers and the man who set the bomb were immigrants, so the incident promoted anti-immigrant feelings and suspicion of unions. **Clash with police Remember: Strikebreakers vs. Workers Remember: Anarchist -- a person who opposes all forms of Government

Samuel Gompers

Organized American Federation of Labor in Ohio

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Outlawed trusts, monopolies, and other forms of businesses that restricted trade.

Eugene V. Debs

President of the National Railway Union

Pinkertons

Private detectives hired to forcefully break up labor strikes

Collective Bargaining

Process by which a union representing a group of workers negotiates with management for a contract

Boycott

Refusal to buy or have dealings with

Workers Compensation

The employers are responsible for paying for the medical bills for injured workes

Picket

The gathering of striking workers at a business site as a sign of protest

What were the results of the of the labor strikes in the late 1800s?

The government sided with the owners / management of the companies and helped put down the strikes by sending in the military or militia (national guard).

What impact did the strikes of the late 1800s have on the American public?

The public became distrustful of unions.

Terence Powderly

Union pres -- Knights of Labor

Boss Tweed

William Tweed, head of Tammany Hall, NYC's powerful democratic political machine in 1868. Between 1868 and 1869 he led the Tweed Reign, a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Example: Responsible for the construction of the NY court house; actual construction cost $3million. Project cost tax payers $13million

Women and unions

Women often not admitted Formed their own union ILGWU - International Ladies' Germent Workers Union

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

a fire in New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911 killed 146 people, mostly women. They 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.

Tammany Hall

a political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism

Labor unions had difficulty achieving their goals because

government supported business and not labor

Goals of labor unions

higher wages, safer working conditions, and the right of the union to represent workers

Unionism

labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union

Scabs

people who cross Union picket lines while on a strike

Socialist

person who supports community ownership of property and the sharing of all profits

Globilization

policy of counries interacting with each other and sharing culture

United Mine Workers Strike

strike of coal miners for higher wages and recognition of union, mine owners refused to negotiate; workers won shorter work day and higher pay, but they didn't get their union recognized

Workers tolerated poor working conditions because

there were plenty of other workers to take their place

Child labor

using children to work in factories and businesses