Trade Union and Labor Rights

Question 1

What was President Cleveland’s impact?

Answer 1

Pullman Strike occurred during his presidency - took action - showed TU how govt wanted them to act

Question 2

What were the key turning points for the period?

Answer 2

1875-1895 - Gilded Age
WW1 and WW2
1960s

Question 3

What was founded in 1869?

Answer 3

Knights of Labor

Question 4

What occurred in 1886?

Answer 4

The Haymarket Affair and the American Federation of Labor was founded

Question 5

What occurred in 1894?

Answer 5

Pullman strike

Question 6

What act was passed in 1935?

Answer 6

Wagner Act

Question 7

What act was passed in 1947?

Answer 7

Taft-Hartley Act

Question 8

What occurred in 1981?

Answer 8

PATCO strike

Question 9

What happened in the Pullman Strike?

Answer 9

Strike by employees of Pullman company
Meant no goods ere being moved by train so big corporations were suffering greatly
Cleveland sent in 2000 troops to crush the strike
4 workers were killed
These actions were to prevent a general strike from occurring

Question 10

What happened during the PATCO Strike?

Answer 10

Air traffic controllers were on strike as government was unwilling to pay more
The government were concerned that the strike would have a great impact on the economy
Reagan announced that if the workers did not return within 48 hours their contracts would be ended

Question 11

Why is the PATCO strike seen as a turning point?

Answer 11

It redefined industrial relations
The government gave a clear message as to how they thought relations with the unions should proceed
Shows that they are likely to intervene elsewhere if they intervened in PATCO

Question 12

What was Loncher vs New York and when was it put in place?

Answer 12

1905
It rejected the law that limited the number of working hours - supreme court decided it was ‘unreasonable, unnecessary to interfere with the rights of the individual to contract

Question 13

What was Adkins vs Children’s hospital and when was it put in place?

Answer 13

1923

Stated that minimum wage laws violated the due process clause

Question 14

What was Coppage vs Kansas and when was it put in place?

Answer 14

1915

Allowed yellow dog contracts (contracts which workers had to sign to promise they wouldn’t join a union)

Question 15

What did the supreme court make unconstitutional in 1935?

Answer 15

NIRA

SC stated that they should not interfere in state affairs

Question 16

What was the New Deal?

Answer 16

Created due to the Great Depression
Reduced the rights of employers and increased the rights of employees
Caused more workers to want to work and their rights improved massively

Question 17

Who do the National Labor Union represent and what do they campaign about and how?

Answer 17

Promote the cause of working women
They used various strikes to campaign for 
- a 8 hour day
- currency and banking reform
- the end of convict labor

Question 18

Who do the Knights of Labor represent and what do they campaign about and how?

Answer 18

Women and racial workers
Use strikes to campaign about
- uniting skilled and unskilled labour and to remove the barriers of racial and cultural origin
- wanted a 8 hour day
- equal pay for women
- abolition of child labour

Question 19

Who do the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) represent and what do they campaign about and how?

Answer 19

Members were mostly minders, lumbermen, fruit pickers and travelling workers
They had a reputation for violence to defend the rights of the poor and illiterate workers

Question 20

Who do the American Federation of Labour (AFL) represent and what do they campaign about and how?

Answer 20

Wanted to seek all unions to one big union

Supported the use of strikes and boycotts to campaign about wage rising and reducing working hours