Trade Unions

Question 1

What is a Trade Union?

Answer 1

They promote interests and rights of workers

Question 2

How much of the workforce were unskilled women by 1890?

Answer 2

35%

Question 3

Impacts of industrial working conditions on workers

Answer 3

12 hour shifts, hazardous and harmful conditions, high accident rates in steel mills, children as young as 8 working in coal mines.

Question 4

What is collective bargaining?

Answer 4

Negotiation of wages and other conditions of employment by an organized body of employees.

Question 5

Obstacles following the labour movement?

Answer 5

Suspicion unions were un-american, increased number of semi and unskilled workers, workplace challenges cause by mass production, resistance from employers, divisions within the labour movement, resistance from state/ federal government.

Question 6

What was the Homestead Strike?

Answer 6

1892: caused by the failure of negotiations for a new three year bargaining agreement. The AA and KOL planned a walkout, workers on Carnegie plants went on strike in sympathy. Frick (company man) ordered spies who killed and injured members of the strikes, who fought back in the same manner. Frick is murdered and an unconditional surrender is announced.

Question 7

Results of the Homestead Strike?

Answer 7

Union nearly bankrupted, Homestead AA members vote to return back to work. By 1900 no steel plants were unionised. Overall unsuccessful and did not cause anything good.

Question 8

Impacts of WW1 on the labour movement?

Answer 8

Immediate impact: union membership rose from 2.7 mill in 1916 to 5 mill in 1920.
Real wages rose by 20%.

Question 9

What’s a yellow dog contract?

Answer 9

Contracts signed by workers that prevented them from joining a union.

Question 10

What is welfare capitalism?

Answer 10

The practice of businesses providing welfare services to their employees.

Question 11

How much did the number of workers on strike decline from 1919-1928?

Answer 11

3.75 million

Question 12

What was the NIRA (National Industry Recovery Act)?

Answer 12

1933: established National Recovery Administration, guaranteed a right to collective bargaining, supervised fair trade codes.

Question 13

By how much did aircraft productivity increase from 1939 to 1944?

Answer 13

94,000

Question 14

What was the NWLB and when was it established?

Answer 14

1941: aimed to control wages.

Question 15

What does closed shop mean?

Answer 15

A factory or workplace which is dominated by one trade union and where all workers are obliged to belong to that union.

Question 16

What was the NWLB and what did it do?

Answer 16

The National War Labour Board: aimed to ensure maintenance of high, uninterrupted production levels. Gompers and the AFL ordered workers to refrain from striking during the war and productivity rose by 35% by 1918 from 1914.

Question 17

Successes of NIRA

Answer 17

Successes: gathered 3.7 million members, sit in protests successfully used in 1937 to gain recognition from car manufacturers that their workers could join TUs, gave a voice to unskilled and minority groups.

Question 18

Failures of NIRA

Answer 18

Furthered divisions within the union movement, not united until they merged with the AFL in 1955.

Question 19

How did the economy of the 50’s effect the Union Movement

Answer 19

60% of families owned their houses, 75% owned cars, 87% owned at least 1 TV, average workers income adjusted for inflation, rising by 35%. Union membership peaked, with 1/3 of the workforce being part of a union.

Question 20

Why did Trade Unionism decline in the 1920’s?

Answer 20

Welfare Capitalism, Economic Prosperity, Red Scare.

Question 21

Union Gains in the 1960’s:

Answer 21

Wages rose by over 2% per year, union workers earned roughly 20% more than non-unionised workers, AFL-CIO had a combined 16 million members, unions had medical and dental insurance, paid holidays and vacations.

Question 22

Evidence of continuity/ progress in the 60’s:

Answer 22

Framework for entitlement to rights firmly established in law (right to join TU, framework for negotiations and collective bargaining) progress in fight for labour rights for AAs, AFL-CIO encouraged affiliate unions to abandon racist union practices.

Question 23

Evidence of decline in the 60’s:

Answer 23

Economic prosperity caused reduced strike action, change in the nature of work to be less industrial meant unions were less powerful, priorities shifted to the war on poverty and the Vietnam war, Democrats weakening their ties to the labour movement.

Question 24

What was the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970?

Answer 24

Aimed to provide a working environment free from hazards, standards for health and safety were set by the Department of Labour which meant employers had little influence.

Question 25

When was there a rise in the minimum wage?

Answer 25

1981