Trade union and labour rights - unity and action

Question 1

How did skilled workers limit unions?

Answer 1

• (1860s) Unions only protected skilled workers - continued until the 1930s.

Question 2

How did workers change in 1955?

Answer 2

• CIO merged with the AFL, bringing 85% of members into one unit.
• gave the organisation a membership of 16 million
• Unions had recognised that the best way to protect their interests was through greater solidarity.

Question 3

How did whit collar workers negatively effect change post WW2?

Answer 3

• increase in white-collar and service industries jobs - workers were less likely to join unions
• proportion of workers in unions dropped to 31% by 1960.

Question 4

union wage statistics in 60s

Answer 4

Wages of union workers were 20% higher than non-union in the 1960s.

Question 5

How did ethnic divisions continue in the 1960s?

Answer 5

• Unions did not promote equal opportunities for AAs.
• smaller unions did not welcome ethnic members.

Question 6

What is the effect of women and trade unions?

Answer 6

• Unions were male dominated, so the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) was established in 1903.

Question 7

What is the Haymarket Affair 1886?

Answer 7

Police-striker violence - led to protest march (after 4 workers died) where 7 police died, and 4 more workers died.

Question 8

What is the impact of the Haymarket Affair?

Answer 8

• encouraged the dislike of unions, who were blamed for the events.
• weakened and divided the movement.
• Some unions broke away from the KOL to join AFL

Question 9

What is the Homestead Strike of 1892?

Answer 9

• plant manager of Carnegie Steel locked the union out
• Violence followed when the company advertised for replacement workers.

Question 10

What did employers do in the earlier period?

Answer 10

• Used violence to break up strikes, and called in federal troops + Pinkertons
• Henry Ford closely controlled his factory, and used security to attack and intimidate potential union organisers.

Question 11

How was union membership affected in the later period?

Answer 11

• Union membership declined:
  1980: 20 million
  1995: 16.5 million
• Number of days lost to strikes had been halved since 1980.

Question 12

(UFW) Salad bowl strike

Answer 12

(1965) largest agricultural strike in US history