Orientation II: Lesson 6 - American Labor History

Question 1

Labor in America has been designed as a ______ force in the national economy and a bulwark (or safeguard) of our democratic ______.

a. bullying / party
b. motivating / platform
c. stabilizing / society
d. strong / culture

Answer 1

c. stabilizing / society

Question 2

Working people in America had to unite in the effort to achieve their gains in the twentieth century.

True or False

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The gains unions have achieved brought gains to its members and to the _____.

a. construction workers
b. other workers
c. nonunion workers
d. public

Answer 3

d. public

Question 4

From the list below, select four benefits now enjoyed by millions which never existed on a large scale until unions fought and won them for working people.

I. Grievance and arbitration procedures
II. Health and welfare
III. Holidays
IV. Public assembly
V. Search and seizure
VI. Vacations with pay
VII. Voting privileges

a. I., II., III., and IV.
b. II., III.,V., and VI.
c. I., II., III., and VI.
d. II., III., VI., and VII.

Answer 4

c. I., II., III., and VI.

Question 5

The labor movement has reached out to various groups within American society, such as African Americans, Hispanics, other minorities, and women. Also included are those who work for better schools; freedom of speech, press, and assembly; better cities to live in; rural recreation areas; better health for infants; and more secure status of the elderly.

True or False

Answer 5

True

Question 6

The American workforce, once predominantly ______ collar, now finds ______ collar employees and ______ collar people of the service industries in a substantial majority.

a. blue / gray- / white-
b. blue / white- / gray-
c. gray / blue- /white-
d. white / gray- /blue-

Answer 6

b. blue / white- / gray-

Question 7

Multinational corporations and conglomerate corporations have moved their operations around the world, resulting in a significant increase of the American workforce.

True or False

Answer 7

False

Question 8

Choose the top five actions of opponents of the American labor movement which threaten to neutralize or eliminate worker security and peace of mind.

I. Increased OSHA enforcement
II. Decreased use of part-time workers
III. Repeal or mutilation of social programs affecting wage earners in the middle and lower economic brackets
IV. Retrogressive crusades to develop an anti-union atmosphere in the nation
V. Resistance to labor reform legislation
VI. Use of legal loopholes to frustrate union organizing
VII. Use of lie detectors and electronic surveillance against employees

a. I., II., III., IV., and V.
b. II., III., IV., V., and VI.
c. III., IV., V., VI., and VII.
d. II., III.,VI., and VII.

Answer 8

c. III., IV., V., VI., and VII.

Question 9

There is no substitute for labor unions when it comes to aiding the worker in search of his or her _____ rights and ______.

a. civil / pride
b. duties / privileges
c. human / dignity
d. human / responsibilities

Answer 9

c. human / dignity

Question 10

In the early years of the nineteenth century, recorded efforts by unions to improve workers’ conditions through ______ or ______ action became more frequent.

a. discussions /walkout
b. talks / blackball
c. negotiation / strike
d. meetings / boycott

Answer 10

c. negotiation / strike

Question 11

The factory system that began in the 1830s produced great wealth for a few and ______ for many.

a. health issues
b. brash work rules
c. broken families
d. grinding poverty

Answer 11

d. grinding poverty

Question 12

During the mid-nineteenth century, several attempts were made to provide a nationwide federation of local labor groups. Select three of the earliest attempts.

I. American Labor Union
II. Knights of Labor
III. National Labor Union
IV. National Trades’ Union
V. National Workers Union
VI. United Workers of America

a. I., II., and III.
b. II., III., and IV.
c. III., IV., and V.
d. IV., V., and VI.

Answer 12

b. II., III., and IV.

Question 13

The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution calling for a(n) ______ hour workday.

a. 7
b. 8
c. 9
d. 10

Answer 13

b. 8

Question 14

Samuel Gompers became the first president of the newly formed ______, which evolved from the earlier Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions.

a. American Federation of Labor
b. Council on Federation of Labor
c. Congress of Industrial Organization
d. Council of Industrial Relations

Answer 14

a. American Federation of Labor

Question 15

What led the founders of the AFL to express their beliefs in the need for a more effective union organization?

a. Introduction of machinery
b. Subdivision of labor
c. Use of women and child labor
d. Lack of an apprenticeship system
e. Prevention of skilled labor from being reduced to beggary
f. All of the above

Answer 15

f. All of the above

Question 16

The new AFL placed emphasis on the ______ of each affiliated union in its jurisdiction and encouraged practical ______ to gain improvements for the membership.

a. autonomy / collective bargaining
b. dependence / organization
c. codependence / wage increases
d. interdependence / social skills

Answer 16

a. autonomy / collective bargaining

Question 17

The ______ Act was used very strongly against unions which was contrary to the act’s intent.

a. Clayton Antitrust
b. Chaney Antitrust
c. Sherman Antitrust
d. Spencer Antitrust

Answer 17

c. Sherman Antitrust

Question 18

The early years of the twentieth century witnessed many intense struggles between ______ unions and powerful ______ with heavy financial resources.

a. large / companies
b. small / conglomerates
c. strong / contractors
d. weak / corporations

Answer 18

d. weak / corporations

Question 19

The Pullman strike illustrated the tendency of the ______ to offer moral support and military force to break ______.

a. Department of Labor / boycotts
b. government / strikes
c. president / unions
d. United States laws / wage disputes

Answer 19

b. government / strikes

Question 20

What legal weapon was issued almost automatically by the courts on request of government officials or corporations against union organizing?

a. The command
b. The demand notice
c. The directive
d. The injunction

Answer 20

d. The injunction

Question 21

Secondary boycotts, which was the issue in the Danbury Hatters’ case, were made illegal under the 1947 _____ Act.

a. Hobbs
b. Sampson-Weber
c. Sherman
d. Taft-Hartley

Answer 21

d. Taft-Hartley

Question 22

A secondary boycott is one directed at companies or stores to try to force them not to use, or to offer for sale, products made by a company involved in a strike or otherwise deemed unfair by the legitimate union.

True or False

Answer 22

True

Question 23

In 1894, the AFL adopted a resolution that women should be organized into trade unions.

True or False

Answer 23

True

Question 24

A tragic fire in New York City in 1911 at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company resulted in the deaths of about 150 textile workers, most of whom were young women. The fire investigation determined that the safety exits were locked on the burning floors, allegedly to prevent the loss of goods.

Answer 24

True

Question 25

In 1904, the membership of the AFL was nearly 1,700,000 members and ten years later climbed to about ______ million.

a. 2
b. 2.25
c. 2.5
d. 3

Answer 25

a. 2

Question 26

Congress created a separate U.S. Department of Labor at the urging of the AFL to protect and extend the rights of contractors.

True or False

Answer 26

False

Question 27

Which of the following is a legislative action that was taken in the better interest of working people?

I. Adamson Act
II. Creation of a Children’s Bureau
III. Clayton Act
IV. Fair Labor Standards Act
V. La Follette Seamen’s Act
VI. Public Contracts Act

a. I., II., III., and IV.
b. I., II., III., IV., V., and VI.
c. I., II., VI., and V.
d. II., III., IV., and V.
e. III., IV., V., and VI.

Answer 27

b. I., II., III., IV., V., and VI.

Question 28

The first U.S. president to attend the annual AFL convention was ______. Where and when did it occur?

a. Herbert Hoover/ Baltimore, MD, 1929
b. Warren G. Harding / Philadelphia, PA, 1921
c. William H. Taft / Columbus, OH, 1912
d. Woodrow Wilson / Buffalo, NY, 1917

Answer 28

d. Woodrow Wilson / Buffalo, NY, 1917

Question 29

Following World War I, the ______ movement suffered setbacks and difficulties because of swift and predictable post-war reaction from employers and their allies.

a. employee
b. labor
c. union
d. worker

Answer 29

b. labor

Question 30

The depression after World War I brought wages down sharply and caused a loss of about ______ union members from 1920 to 1923.

a. 500,000
b. 750,000
c. 1,000,000
d. 1,500,000

Answer 30

c. 1,000,000

Question 31

Samuel Gompers died in 1924 and was succeeded by ______, who was a(n) ______.

a. John L. Lewis / mine worker
b. Phillip Murray / coal miner
c. Walter P. Reuthier / automobile worker
d. William Green / coal miner

Answer 31

d. William Green / coal miner

Question 32

In ______, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt undertook a number of programs designed to recharge the economy, feed the unemployed, and restore confidence.

a. 1931
b. 1933
c. 1935
d. 1936

Answer 32

b. 1933

Question 33

The National Labor Relations Act (also known as the ______ Act) was enacted by Congress in ______. This legislation established a legal basis for unions, set collective bargaining as a matter of national policy required by law, provided for secret ballot elections in choosing unions, and protected union members from employer intimidation and coercion.

a. Clayton / 1930
b. Lewis / 1932
c. Green / 1934
d. Wagner / 1935

Answer 33

d. Wagner / 1935

Question 34

The two reasons given for the split in the AFL, which brought about the creation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), are as follows:

I. John L. Lewis said it was because the CIO unions favored industrial unionism.

II. William Green said it was because the CIO unions flouted the rules and procedures of the AFL.

a. Both I. and II. are true.
b. Both I. and II. are false.
c. Only I. is true.
d. Only II. is true.

Answer 34

a. Both I. and II. are true.

Question 35

______ in union strength coupled with President ______ domestic programs led to the passage of the national Social Security program, compensation provisions for workers and the unemployed, as well as the federal minimum wage-hour law.

a. Loss / Truman’s
b. Loss / Roosevelt’s
c. Growth / Truman’s
d. Growth / Roosevelt’s

Answer 35

d. Growth / Roosevelt’s

Question 36

The AFL and CIO were reunited at a convention in New York in December of 1955.

True or False

Answer 36

True

Question 37

______ was elected president of the AFL-CIO in December of 1955.

a. Thomas R. Donahue
b. Lane Kirkland
c. George Meany
d. John J. Sweeney
e. Richard Trumka

Answer 37

c. George Meany

Question 38

The numbered list below contains four significant events in the labor movement following World War II. From the choices that follow, select the significant construction labor movement event directly affecting the building trades that is missing from the list.

I. 1963—Equal pay for equal work
II. 1964—Civil Rights Act
III. 1968—Age Discrimination Act
IV. 1978—Humphrey-Hawkins Act

a. 1993—Family and Medical Leave Act
b. 1990—Americans with Disabilities Act
c. 1974—Employee Retirement Income Security Act
d. 1970—Occupational Safety and Health Act

Answer 38

d. 1970—Occupational Safety and Health Act

Question 39

There are seven autonomous departments of the AFL-CIO, developed to meet specialized needs. Select the department that is missing from the list of six below.

I. Food and Beverage
II. Industrial Union Department
III. Maritime Trades
IV. Metal Trades
V. Professional Employers and Public Employees
VI. Union Label and Service Trades

a. Automotive
b. Building and Construction Trades
c. Health Care
d. Garment Trades

Answer 39

b. Building and Construction Trades

Question 40

In 1981, grassroots strength and commitment of organized labor were highlighted by an unprecedented ______ demonstration in Washington, D.C., when more than 400,000 union members participated.

a. “Commitment Day”
b. “Grass Roots Day”
c. “Solidarity Day”
d. “Labor Day”

Answer 40

c. “Solidarity Day”