Trade Union Turning Points Flashcards
Identify the 3 rights
- Membership and Right to exist- Formal recognition by government and employers
- Right to strike and collectively bargain- Inc. willingness to strike action and reaction to strike action
- Workers’ rights- E.g. Pay, conditions, job security, etc.
Most important 3 TPs for Membership and Right to exist
- New Deal and WW2
- The 1960s
- WW1 and 1920s
Most important 3 TPs for Right to strike
- WW1 and 1920s
- The 1960s
- New Deal and WW2
Most important 3 TPs for Workers Rights
- The 1960s
- New Deal and WW2
- WW1 and 1920s
TU membership in 1900
500,000
TU membership in 1916
2.7 million
TU membership in 1920
5 million
TU membership in 1933
3.7 million
TU membership in 1941
9 million
TU membership in 1945
14.8 million (35.5% of the workforce)
TU membership in 1950
14.3 million (31.5% of the workforce)
TU membership in 1953
18 million
TU membership in 1960
17 million (31.4% of the workforce)
TU membership in 1970
19.4 million (27.3% of the workforce)
TU membership in 1980
19.8 million (25.5% of the workforce)
TU membership in 1990
16.7 million (16.1% of the workforce)
Membership and Right to exist TP- 1880s-90s (Period of Industrialisation) Key Points
AFL founded in 1886
1873 Depression caused a surge in Union membership
Between 1860 and 1900, US industrialisation accelerated and the number of industrial workers increased from 885,000 to 3.2 million.
Sherman Antitrust Act 1890- Restricted anti-competitive behaviour of employers and promoted the membership of unions
BUT: By 1900 only 500,000 Trade Union members
BUT: Failure of strike action due to the anti-union stance of the government and strong reaction of big business meant union growth was low in this period
As with the Homestead Steel strike of 1892, AA membership went from 24,000 in 1891 to 10,000 by 1894
Haymarket Affair in 1886 led to the KOLs membership to dwindle in the aftermath.
J: Not that significant
Membership and Right to exist TP- WW1 and 1920s Key Points
Union membership increased from 2.7 million in 1916 to 5 million in 1920
National War Labour Board established in April 1918. Dissolved in May 1919
1925- Asa Philip Randolph established the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids (BSCP). Pullman Company still refused to recognise them
BUT: Decline in Union membership:
1920- 5 million TU members
1933- 3.7 million TU members
The 1920s was a period of welfare capitalism and ‘Yellow Dog Contracts
Coppage v. Kansas 1915
The 1920s was an age of welfare capitalists such as Henry Ford (Archetypal)- Deliberately undermined the support and influence of unions
J: Significant TP
National War Labour Board (WW1)
President Wilson established the National War Labor Board in April 1918
This was to ensure high levels of uninterrupted production and enforce a no-strike policy. In return, the Board agreed to guarantee the rights of workers to join unions and to collectively bargain.
Dissolved in May 1918
Coppage v. Kansas 1915
Coppage v. Kansas 1915 permitted ‘Yellow Dog Contracts’ which were contracts workers signed with employers that prevent them from joining trade unions. Characterised much of the 1920s
Haymarket Affair of 1886
Violence broke out after a striker threw a bomb and killed a policeman. This resulted in a further 7 policeman to be killed causing widespread resentment for the strikers. Media coverage of the event was harsh, linking unionism with anarchism. This led to the KOLs membership to dwindle in the aftermath.
When was the AFL founded
1886
Membership and Right to exist TP- New Deal era Key Points
1935 Wagner Act- Recognised the right of workers to form trade unions
The BSCP was finally certified by the National Mediation Board (NMB) in 1935 and became representative of porters. 2 years later it signed its first collective bargaining agreement and was the first labour organisation led by African Americans
CIO Founded in 1935, renamed the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1937. Represented labour in mass production industries
Union membership grew:
1933- 3.7 million TU members
1938- 9 million TU members
BUT: CIO Split with AFL
Wagner Act
1935
Initiated by Congress, not Roosevelt
Recognised the right of workers to elect their own representatives and take part in collective bargaining with employers. Hence it was the first national piece of legislation which recognised the right of workers to form trade unions
Also permitted closed shops
Spies and the blacklisting of alleged ‘agitators’ was banned
Committed the Federal government to an important labour relations role
Membership and Right to exist TP- WW2 Key Points
Union membership grew from 9 million in 1941 to 14.8 million in 1945
Influx of women into the American workforce during WW2 also led to a dramatic increase in the number of women joining unions:
1940: 800,000
1944: 3 million
BUT: Increased proportion of women working especially after the Second World War, saw a decline in union membership as many were not interested in union activity or worked in the service industry where unions were absent
Membership and Right to exist TP- 1960s (Work of Chavez) Key Points
Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers’ Association and joined the Filipino grape pickers strike in 1965.
1972- the union was renamed as the United Farm Workers (UFW)
He adopted policies of non-violence and went on a series of fasts, this forced growers to recognise the UFW as the bargaining organisation for field workers in California and Florida
Union recognition was fully achieved by 1972 after he called for a boycott in 1968 where 17 million Americans stopped buying grapes.
By 1975, the UFW had 50,000 members
The union also won passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relation Act in 1975 which gave collective bargaining rights to farm workers.
BUT: He died in 1993 after a fast for 35 days which damaged his health
Membership and Right to exist TP- 1980s/ Reagan Presidency Key Points
The 1970s and 80s saw an upsurge in the union membership amongst public sector workers
The AFL-CIO responded to this by creating a public service department within its organisation
BUT: Changing economic climate meant an expanding service economy with a less organised workforce as well as relocation from urban to rural, making it harder to organise
1919 Strike figures
4 million workers striking
1921 Strike figures
Just over 1 million workers striking in 2,385 strikes
1929 Strike figures
Just under 300,000 workers striking in 921 strikes
1946 Strike figures
4.6 million workers striking in 4,985 strikes (peak)
1950 Strike figures
3 million workers striking in 3,606 strikes
1965 Strike figures
1.5 million workers striking in 4,511 strikes
1970 Strike figures
2.5 million workers striking in 381 strikes
1975 Strike figures
965,000 workers striking in 235 strikes
1990 Strike figures
185,000 workers striking in 44 strikes
1992 Strike figures
362,000 workers striking in 35 strikes
Right to Strike TP- 1880s/90s
A successful strike by Knights of Labour (Established 1869) at the Wasbash Railroad 1885-86
BUT: Many Failed strikes
Haymarket Affair 1886
Homestead Steel Strike 1892- 300 Pinkerton detectives, State military, ‘scab’ labour used
President Cleveland sent in federal troops during the 1894 Pullman Strike
J: Activity shows high willingness to strike but strong responses mean this was not significant
Pullman Strike
1894
Strike began following wage cuts of up to 40% and unfair dismissals- Led by American Railway Union (ARU) and its leader Eugene Debs
Strike had paralysed the economies of 27 states
Debs was arrested and the strike caused $340,000 dollars of damage (Around $8 million today)
Following the strike, courts would continuously support employers.
