1865 - 1900 Flashcards
Why did trade unions lack legal recognition from 1865 - 1900?
- no federal laws guaranteed the right to collective bargaining or strike
- employers could legally fire workers for joining unions
- courts often viewed unions as illegal conspiracies
How did employers try to suppress trade unions?
- Blacklisting: workers who joined unions were put on ‘do not hire’ lists
- Yellow Dog contracts: forced workers to pledge not to join unions or be fired
- Scabs: replacement workers brought in to undermine strikes
How did the government suppress trade unions?
- deployed federal troops against major trikes
- injunctions used to ban strikes: courts sided with employers
How did newspapers portray unions and strikes?
- largely anti-union, depicted strikers as violent anarchists
- after the haymarket riot, media turned public opinion against unions
- business owners used newspapers to justify anti-union actions
How did the government justify using force against strikers?
- claimed strikes disrupted the ‘free market’ and hurt the economy
- used injunctions (court orders) to break strikes
- politicians sided with big businesses due to campaign funding
How did racial and ethnic divisions weaken trade unions?
- many unions excluded Black, Asian and immigrant workers: reducing solidarity
- national Labour Union: included black workers but collapsed in 1873
What role did the Pinkerton Detective Agency play in labour conflicts?
- private security hired by business owners to break strikes
- used violence against workers including in the Homestead strike
- increased hostility between workers and employers
What was the impact of industrialisation on labour conditions?
- rapid growth of factories led to increased demand for labour but led to poor conditions
- 12 hour workdays, unsafe environment, child labour
- no legal protection for workers against exploitation
when and what was Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad?
- 1886
- SC ruled that corporations were considered ‘persons’ under the 14th amendment
- made it harder for the gov to regulate big businesses, as corporate rights were now protected
How did Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad disadvantage trade unions
- Corporations could now use the 14th Amendment to challenge labour laws, claiming regulations violated their laws
- Workers did not receive the same protections
- Courts ruled in favour of business owners frequently, using this as precedent
what supreme court cases showed preference towards employers over employees?
- Lochner v New York 1905: ruled laws limiting work hours were unconstitutional, favouring businesses
- In re Debs (1895): upheld injunctions banning strikes
When was the Sherman Antitrust act and what was its impact on unions
- 1890
- labelled unions as illegal ‘restraints of trade’
- courts used it to justify breaking up strikes and fining union leaders
What was the Knights of Labour and what was their significance?
- founded in 1869, aimed at both skilled and unskilled workers
- accepted women and AA workers
- grew to 700,000 members by 1886
what led to the decline of the Knights of Labour?
- Haymarket Riot 1886: a bombing at a labour protest in Chicago blamed on the Knights
- Violence associated with the labour movement caused for public opinion to change against them
- collapsed by the 1890s
When and why was the American Federation of Labour founded?
- 1886
- only accepted skilled workers
- focused on wages, hours and social conditions
what were the key strategies used by the AFL
- exclusive membership: no unskilled workers, women, or AA workers
- avoided political activism, focused on direct worker gains
how successful was the AFL by 1900?
- membership reached 500,000 by 1900
- AFL unions secured higher wages and shorter hours for some workers
- became the dominant TU in the US into the 20th century
What were two major strikes during the late 19th century?
- Great Railroad strike (1877): 100+ workers killed
- Pullman strike 1894: president Cleveland sent 12,000 troops, killing 30 strikers
What caused the Great Railroad strike and when was it?
- 1877
- severe economic depression led to wage cuts
- railroad companies cut wages by 10% in 1877
- workers protested in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Chicago
What were the major events during the Great Railroad strike
- rail traffic was shut down across multiple states
- in Pittsburgh, strikes burned railroad property
- militia and federal troops were deployed
what was the government’s response to the Great Railroad strike and what was the impact?
- President Rutherford B Hayes sent federal troops to break the strike
- over 100 workers were killed when federal troops fired on strikers
- showed government sided with business over labour
What caused the Homestead strike and when was it?
- 1892
- Carnegie Steel Company cut wages at its Homestead plant
- Owned by Andrew Carnegie
- workers went on strike against the wage reductions
What was the response to the Homestead Strike?
- Henry Clay Frick, Carnegie’s manager, hired Pinkerton detectives to break down the strike
- aimed conflict broke out between the strikers and Pinkertons
- 16 people were killed in the violence
What was the impact of the Homestead Strike?
- Unions lost, strike leaders were arrested
- setback for steelworkers’ union, which collapsed in Homestead
- no major steel union existed again until the 1930’s
What caused the Pullman strike and when was it?
- 1894
- Pullman Company cut wages but did not lower rent in company-owned housing
- workers joined the American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs
What action did the workers take during the Pullman strike
- Boycotted Pullman railcars across the country
- rail traffic was disrupted nationwide
How did the government respond to the Pullman Strike?
- President Grover Cleveland sent 12,000 federal troops to break the strike
- 30 workers were killed in clashes
What was the long-term impact of the Pullman strike?
- Eugene Debs was arrested
- supreme court case In re Debs 1895, upheld gov power to stop strikes with injunctions
- showed federal power was used against unions, not businesses
How did the Haymarket Affair impact the Labour movement?
- public opinion turned due the use of media
- linked unions to anarchism and violence
- led to the decline of the Knights of Labour as they were blamed for the riot
When was the Haymarket Affair and what was it?
- 1886
- A labour rally in Chicago turned violent when a bomb exploded, killing 7 police officers
How did some states attempt to regulate labour conditions?
- Massachusetts 1869: first state to set a minimum age (10) for factory work
- New York Factory Inspection Law 1883: required inspectors to check factory conditions but had little enforcement
How did unions benefit workers before 1900?
- strong unions such as AFL helped improve wages and hours
- 10 hour workdays (down from 12-14) in certain industries
- slightly higher wages for skilled workers
what was a key court ruling that favoured workers before 1900?
- Illinois Workplace Safety Law 1893: required factory owners to maintain safe conditions
