Trade Unions Flashcards
What was the positions of workers rights in 1865?
Workers could be exploited
they had no protection
they could be laid off or have their wages dropped at any time
there were few safety precautions
trade unions were small and only limited to skilled workers
there was no legal obligation to recognise a union and work with them
how did the American industrial period affect trade unions?
from 1860-1900
number of workers increased from 885,000 to 3.2 million
mainly closed shops unions so there was no strength in numbers and they had very limited power
industrialisation led to an increase in semi-skilled/unskilled workers (excluded from unions) (most workers were unskilled)
contract system meant that workers could be laid off during slack times
what were some of the key issues that affected workers?
children as young as 8 working in mines
long hours, 12+ hour shifts
dangerous conditions (in 1889 alone, 2000 railway workers were killed at work)
lack of compensation following accidents
health and safety was expensive and opposed to by employers
Courts considered that employer negligence was one of the normal risks of an employee
what was the first attempt of a labour union?
National Labor Union (NLU)
the first attempt to form a single association that would draw a mass of membership and cross craft lines
they campaigned for 8 hours a day about currency and banking reform, the ending of convict labour, a federal labour department and immigration restrictions
promoted the cause of working women
held a strike that failed, but this did not deter membership
What was the Knights of Labor? (KOL)
This attracted membership of the NLU after its demise
wished to unite skilled and unskilled labour and remove barriers of racial and cultural origins imposed by other unions (NLU)
demanded an 8 hour day, equal pay for women and the abolition of child labour
attempted to influence politics at a local and national level
reputation destroyed after Haymarket Affair 1886, lost influence and support
When was the Knights of Labor set up?
1869
When was the American Federation of Labor set up?
1886
What was the American Federation of Labor?
effectively replaced KOL after its foundation in December 1886
one of the first successful national labour federations seeking to link all unions and became the largest
wanted to raise wages and reduce hours, and give workers the rights for mediation and conciliation
had over 2 million members by 1914, although they still represented only a small percentage of the national industrial workforce
When were the Molly Maguire strikes and who were they?
1873
they were a group of Irish immigrant miners who violently protested for better working conditions
When was the Haymarket Affair?
1886
Who were the Wobblies and what did they do?
a more militant organisation with a reputation for violence
defence of the rights of the poor and of illiterate workers (immigrants)
mainly consisted of western miners, lumbermen, fruit pickers and travelling workers.
faced constant harassment through arrests and prosecutions by government officials.
Strength broken in 1924. Divisions occurring within leadership.
what factors affected the progression in trade union and labour rights in the Gilded Age?
Racial Tensions
Divisions between skilled and unskilled workers
Employers attitudes Immigrant attitudes to work
Lack of union membership and organisation
Lack of federal government support for workers
Violence
what racial tensions were there prevalent in trade unions?
whites vs African Americans vs immigrants
immigrants vs whites
what were employers attitudes like towards trade unions in the Gilded Age?
laisses-faire empowered capitalists (Carnegie = steel, Rockefeller = oil)
they could cut wages without warning, as well as changing hours and laying off workers
employers resisted union organisation and this is made evident through the fact that they employed labour spies
what evidence is there of lack of federal government support for trade unions?
the courts supported employers
Supreme court decisions impeded rights, such as Lochner vs New York- 1905, which did not uphold legislation to limit the number of hours a baker could work, as it argued this would restrict terms of employment (goes against 8 hour working day wished for by KOL etc)
federal injunctions were placed on strikes
What happened at the Haymarket Affair 1886?
created a foreign conspiracy (tension with immigrant workers with Protestant white workers)
German anarchists blamed despite no connection to the bomb
wanted an 8 hour working day
4 killed
70 wounded
8 anarchists convicted of conspiracy
What was the Sherman Anti-trust Act 1890?
government wanted to restrict monopolies by which large companies that were able to control trade
against the usual policy but government were concerned that companies could control or stop trade
How many members did the Knights of Labour have by 1886?
700,000 but membership fell following Haymarket Affair
how did the increase in African American workers impact white workers?
they were paid less and more of them so position of white workers was undermined
why was there division between skilled and unskilled workers?
industrialisation led to an increase in semi/unskilled workers who were excluded from unions
acceptance of bad working conditions angered many native-born American workers
Woodrow Wilson felt immigrants were creating ‘social chaos’
how many workers entered the USA between 1900 and 1930?
19 million
how did racial tensions weaken the progression of trade unions?
trade unions struggled to gain recognition and increase their influence and this saw millions of African Americans and immigrants as a serious threat and so discriminated against them by refusing them admittance to union organisations
a serious barrier to solidarity and progression!!! (needed the numbers)
Immigrant and white American workforce refused to work with African Americans
why was there a lack of union membership and organisation at the start of the period?
workers reluctant to join due to a sense of disapproval of their methods which were violent employer intimidation also put them off refusal to admit AA labourers not united limited power and effectiveness
what were immigrant attitudes to work like?
prepared to accept high levels of exploitation
women worked in sweatshop conditions, working 16 hours a day and did not oppose this due to fear of dismissal
Americans felt immigrants kept wages low and reduced their own bargaining power
What happened at the Homestead Strike 1892?
Carnegie Steel Company and its workers
Henry Frick wanted to break the union at the plant so they could reduce wages more easily
Frick locked workers out of the industrial plant
Protested the wage cut
It failed
3800 sacked
KOL was blamed
What happened at the Pullman Strike 1894?
nationwide railroad strike
Pullman company cut wages by 1/4 following economic depression
1/3 of the workforce was also made redundant
government supported the employers, firstly with an injunction which stopped anyone interfering with the movement of the mail
Cleveland sent federal troops to break the strike, then the Supreme Court legalised the use of injunctions which declared the strike illegal
Omnibus Indictment Act was then passed which disallowed workers from persuading others to take part in strikes
how much had union membership grown to by 1900?
500,000
even though the gaining of rights was slow
what did growth in membership allow trade unions to do?
they could pressure employers for recognition and then increased pay and better conditions
why may the Gilded Age be considered a key turning point for trade unions?
Industrial expansion and influx of migrants leads to issues for the unions and harsh treatment by the govt.
why may the World Wars be considered a turning point for trade unions?
establishment of the National War Labor Board during WW1
which leads to union concessions
