5. BOOM of 1920s Flashcards
real wages
what wages can actually buy
welfare capitalism
policy of employers during 1920s to reduce industrial unrest
offer workers improved working conditions and benefits (pensions)
in return for establishment of unions under the control/ direction of employers
yellow-dog contracts
contracts workers signed - agreed not to join a union
porter
someone who looked after train passengers
what did the economic boom that followed the war result in
rise in real wages
decline in unemployment
what was the development of welfare capitalism in return for
no strike agreements
abandoning the right to negotiate wages
what did the setting up of company unions mean
workers lost independence
sometimes forced to sign ‘yellow-dog contract’ (agreeing not to join union)
most notable employer who refused to recognise unions
Henry Ford
wouldn’t recognise any union for collective bargaining until 1941
where was the struggle for recognition of unions evident
in the Pullman company
which manufactured railway carriages
the Pullman company employed a significant number of
African Americans (as porters)
how did the Pullman company give AA porters few rights (4 things)
- working conditions poor
- relied on tips for much of income
- promotion denied. job of conductor limited to whites
- prevented any effort to organise union sacking leaders and sometimes assaulting them
what action did the porters take
- appoint Philip Randolph to lead campaign
2. set up Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) union
how did the Pullman company react/oppose the porters action
- established its own union
2. banned meetings of the BSCP
despite nearly half of porters joining BSCP they had not gained recognition by
1928
why could BSCP claim the right to represent porters by 1934
President Roosevelt
change in law - passing of Railway Labor Act
