Second Industrial Revolution and Gilded Age (Working Conditions) Flashcards
Sweatshop
a factory where workers work long hours at low wages
XII. Change in the Workplace
Before the 1870s, factories were family-run, close-knit businesses. Growth in major cities attracted workers from farms, African Americans in the south, and European and Asian immigrants.
XIII. Workplace Problems
b/c of the growth in industrial jobs, many workers worked 10-12 hours per day, 6 days a week, injuries and deaths, child labor and unfair wages were common, relations between workers and employers declined, no job security or insurance
Labor Union
an organization of workers that protects their rights and safety
Strike
a temporary stoppage of activities to protest against an act or condition
Knights of Labor Union
first labor union, chose Terence Powderly as their president, wanted to end secret meetings, allowed women, blacks, immigrants, and unskilled workers to join
GOAL: 8 hour work day, equal pay, end child labor
American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers, memberships were open to skilled workers only, wanted higher wages, shorter hours, believed in the use of strikes
The Industrial Worker of the World
led by Big Bill Haywood, blacks, sharecroppers, and newly arrived immigrants from Eastern Europe, influenced by marxism
Strikebreaker
people hired to work during a strike
Injunction
a court order to do or not to do something
XV. Conflicts with Labor
Haymarket Affair, Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike, industrialists started hiring strikebreakers and private detectives (Pinkerton Group)
Haymarket Affair
nonviolent protest for 8 hour work days, turned deadly, police had broken up a strike at McCormick plant, anarchists threw bombs at the police in Chicago, killing both police and protesters
Homestead Act
the state called in the state militia to put down the strike
Pullman Strike
a strike that was put down by the President Cleveland because it disrupted mail delivery (used the Sherman Antitrust Act)
XVI. Response to Strikes
Americans opposed strikes due to violence, belief in hard work gets rewarded, and unpopularity with unions, thought to be run by anarchists, leading to owners feeling free to crush it
Shirtwaist
a woman’s blouse that resembles a shirt
Department of Labor
a cabinet position created in 1913 to promote the interests of the workforce
XVII. Women and the Labor Force
By 1890, a million American women took factory jobs, leading to the formation of unions for better conditions and higher wages. The first successful labor strike was the ILGWU, though, it wasn’t successful. Mother Jones, an activist traveled across the country campaigning for improved work conditions and to stop abusing children in textile mills.
ILGWU
International Ladies Garments Workers Union
XVIII. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
On March 25, 1911, a major fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floor, 146 deaths (62 by jumping), brought reform to the workplaces and their safety regulations
