122B: Rise of organised labour Flashcards
Before 1877 what had union organisation been?
Sporadic and largely local
What was formed in 1866?
The National Labor Union
Why was the union short lived?
The economic depression of 1873 drove millions of workers into unemployment and out of their unions
By 1877, how much had the membership of the National Labor Union dropped?
From 300,000 in 1872, the membership dropped to just 50,000
What famous strike happened in 1877?
The national railroad strike
What started the national railroad strike?
The owners of Baltimore and Ohio announced the fourth pay cut in many years in 1877, causing workers to walk off the job
Who joined the national railroad strike?
Workers from rival railroads and even workers from completely different industries abandoned their jobs in sympathy
What did the growing mass of workers on strike do to the railroad yards?
They attacked them, burning trains and tearing up tracks
How many people were killed in the national railroad strike as a result of the troops being sent in?
25 people were killed when troops fired into the rioting crowd
How much worth of property had the strikers destroyed on the railroads?
$10 million
Why was the national railroad strike such a shock to most Americans?
For many middle-class and small-town Americans it was a threat of social warfare only a decade after the Civil War
What did the National Strike convince workers of?
They needed to organise. they had no chance of fighting against the US government unless they built stronger unions
What was the most ambitious union formed following the national railroad strike?
The Knights of Labor, formed in 1869
What did the Knights of Labor seek to build?
A comprehensive organisation uniting workers of all races, genders, ethnicities and occupations
What did the Knights of Labor lobby for?
8 hour work day and child labor restrictions
By 1885, how many members had joined the Knights of Labor?
100,000
After their success against the Wabash railroad in 1885, how many workers did the Knights of Labor draw in?
750,000
What happened which was damaging to all those supporting the 8 hour work day?
An eight-hour-day rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square turned violent, and all supporters of the 8 hour day were blamed
Within a year of the Haymarket riot, how much had their membership dropped. And within a decade?
It was cut in half within a year. The Knights of Labor were all but extinct in a decade
Where was the strike before the Haymarket riot?
McCormick Harvester Works in Chicago
On May 3 1886 which organisation called a meeting in Haymarket square?
Black international, a revolutionary organisation set up in 1881
After it began to rain and people began to disperse, what happened in Haymarket square?
Someone threw a bomb that killed a policeman and wounded more than 60. Six people died later
How did the police retaliate following the bomb being thrown in Haymarket square?
They fired into the crowd, wounding more than 100, some fatally
Because of the Haymarket affair what did the eight-hour movement of 1886 become?
A substantial failure
Which union played a central role in the labour movement?
The American Federation of Labor
When was the AFL set up?
1885 by Samuel Gompers
Who did the AFL admit?
Only skilled white men
What were the objectives of the AFL?
They focused only on achieving higher wages and shorter workdays for its members
By 1892 how many members had joined the AFL?
250,000
What was the policy of the AFL?
To support unions by winning recognition and securing agreements from employers by collective bargaining, and to strike only when this failed
