Unions In The Late 19th Century Flashcards
Who were the Knights of Labor?
. Were one of the first true trade unions within the United States
. By 1886 the group had reached a membership of 700,000 having only had a membership of 20,000 in 1881
. However after the Haymarket affair its reputation collapsed and by 1890 its membership was at only 100,000.
Who were the Industrial Workers of The World?
. Were established in 1905 and was able to gain 100,000 members by 1923.
. It’s militancy and violence however meant it was heavily disliked by employers and the public and as a result it was never able to gain significant support.
Who were the American Federation of Labor?
. Replaced the KOL
. Was successful in having a membership of 2million by 1914 therefore making it the biggest trade union in the US.
How did African Americans and immigrants have a negative impact on the expansion of Unions?
. Most African Americans and immigrants accepted lower rates of pay from employers in return for the chance to work.
. Workers took advantage of this by laying off many white workers and replacing them with black workers therefore increasing their profits.
. This had the effect of making the majority of unions banning African Americans and some immigrants from joining their unions.
. This therefore significantly limited the unions support pool and made their actions less effective.
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How did the Pullman’s and Homestead strikes weaken the overall position of Trade Unions?
. The Homestead strike essentially bankrupted the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel workers therefore reducing their membership significantly.
. The Pullman Strike demonstrated the difficulties the unions faced in trying to get recognition.
By the outbreak of the First World War how had the trade unions position improved?
. Union membership across the US had grown by over 2million.
. Unions had managed to put pressure on candidates in elections to support workers rights.
By the outbreak of WW1 how had the position of Workers Unions and rights now been improved?
. Unions only represented 20% of the non - agricultural workforce of the US.
. Many industries such as steel or car manufacturing still remained un - unionised.
. Workers were still divided over matters of race, gender and level of skill.
. The gains made were almost exclusively limited to white, male, skilled workers.
