Labor Unions seek to improve: Wages Working Conditions
Benefits
Slide 3
Strike Work Stoppage
Slide 4
Craft Unions Workers with similar skills who work in different
industries for different employers
Slide 5
Industrial Unions For workers with different skills who work in
the same industry
Slide 6
Knights of Labor Founded by Uriah Stephens Included skilled
& unskilled workers Included white men & minorities Adopted
the following political goals 1. 8 hour work day 2. The end of
child labor
Slide 7
American Federation of Labor Founded by Samuel Gompers
Organization of craft unions that focused on the interest of the
skilled laborer Bread & Butter Goals 1. Shorter hours 2. Higher
wages 3. Better working conditions
Slide 8
Congress of Industrial Organizations Organized unions for
industrial workers
Slide 9
International Ladies Garment Workers Union Most known for the
march to T. Roosevelts house w/ 80 children to emphasize the need
for child labor laws
Slide 10
THE HOMESTEAD STRIKE The Homestead Strike was an industrial
lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, culminating in a
battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6,
1892. The result was the union lost and unions suffered a major
blow around the U.S. Carnegie Steel installed superior technology
for the time to his Homestead Plant in Pennsylvania allowing for
unskilled workers to replace the skilled/union workers. The union
wanted to protect their jobs and ordered a slow-down. Henry Frick
was the plant manager and believed that the skilled/union workers
were slowing down the production process and wanted to push back
against the union. During negotiations, the union pushed for a
raise, but Frick countered with a 22% pay reduction. When no
agreement was reached, Frick locked out the union. The union was
determined to keep the factory closed and started running patrols
to make sure no strikebreakers could get in. So Frick hired a
security force from Pinkerton National Detective Agency to keep the
factory open. A battle ensues between the Pinkertons and the Union
members. Pinkertons surrender, but Frick refused to negotiate and
the State militia was called in.
http://www.history.com/shows/men-who-built-america/videos/homestead-
strike?m=5189719baf036&s=All&f=1&free=false
Slide 11
THE PULLMAN STRIKE The Pullman Strike was a conflict between
the new American Railway Union (ARU) and railroads that occurred in
the US in 1894. It shut down much of the nation's freight and
passenger traffic west of Detroit. It began in the town of Pullman,
Illinois when nearly 4,000 employees of the Pullman Palace Car
Comp. began a strike in response to reductions in wages. Most
factory workers who built Pullman cars lived in the planned worker
community of Pullman, which Pullman had designed as a model
community, but which he controlled. When the company laid off
workers, it did not reduce rents, and the workers called for a
strike; they had not formed a union. When Pullman refused
arbitration the ARU (Eugene V. Debs) called for a strike against
the factory, but it showed no sign of success. To win the strike,
Debs decided to stop the movement of Pullman cars on railroads. The
over-the-rail Pullman employees (such as conductors and porters)
did not go on strike. Debs and the ARU then called a massive
boycott that affected most lines west of Detroit and involved some
250,000 workers in 27 states at its peak. Riots and sabotage caused
$80 million in damages; 30 people were killed. The federal
government secured an injunction against the union to stop
interfering with trains that carried mail cars. They refused and
the Army moved in to stop the strikers from obstructing the trains.
Violence broke out in many cities, and the strike collapsed. Debs
went to prison for violating a court order and his ARU disappeared.
http://on.aol.com/video/impact-of-the-pullman-strike-300994006
Slide 12
Haymarket Square The Haymarket riot was a demonstration and
unrest that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket
Square in Chicago. It began as a rally in support of striking
workers. An unknown person threw a bomb at police as they dispersed
the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in
the deaths of eight police officers and an unknown number of
civilians. Union membership started to DECLINE due to the VIOLENT
nature of these strikes.
Slide 13
The synopsis of these three strikes? 1.They were all
unsuccessful 2.They turned violent 3.They drove down union
membership
Slide 14
Slowly, new labor organizations started to form that found
strength in numbers. However, when the Great Depression hit, unions
lost membership due to the unemployment rate, but gained power
because of legislation passed as part of the New Deal.
http://www.cqpress.com/context/constitution/images/coaz4d_im203.jpg
Slide 15
Unions Gain Power Norris LaGuardia Act Outlawed the practice of
hiring only workers who agreed NOT to join a union Employers had to
allow workers to organize if they wanted to
Slide 16
National Labor Relations Act Known as the Wagner Act Protected
the rights of workers in the private sector to form unions & to
use strikes Gained right to collectively bargain Negotiating
between businesses and their organized employees to establish wages
& to improve working conditions
Slide 17
Fair Labor Standards Act Set a minimum wage Required extra pay
for overtime Made most child labor illegal
Slide 18
Tactics Unions used: Closed Shop A business required to hire
only union members Union Shop A business where workers are required
to join a union within a set time period after being hired
Slide 19
What happened to unions after WWII? President Truman passed a
series of anti-union legislation including the Taft-Hartley Act
which limited union activities and increased governments power to
intervene during strikes. Also, due to the Red Scare of the late
40s and early 50s, the US wanted to get rid of all
Communist-related groups, which sometimes included labor
unions
Slide 20
Taft Hartley Act Limited union activities Increased the
governments power to intervene if a strike might threaten national
security
Slide 21
Landrum Griffin Act Forbade communists from holding union
offices Required tighter financial and electoral accounting
Slide 22
Unions Steady Decline 1. Unions tarnished reputations 2.
Changes in the labor force 3. Laws restricting union influence
Right-to-work laws emphasize that workers are free not to join a
union Most right-to-work states are in the south and central
west
Slide 23
Slide 24
Binding Arbitration Decision by a neutral third party that each
side agrees ahead of time to accept
Slide 25
Injunction Government forcing you back to work
Slide 26
West Seneca has a population of 23,000. Of that 23,000:
____E___ a. 9,300 work as paid employees. ___U____ b. 3,200 are
unemployed, but are looking for work. ___NC___ c. 2,500 are
unemployed and have given up looking for work. ___ NC __ d. 187 are
retired and go fishing daily. _12,500_ 1. How many people would be
included in the workforce? 9,300 + 3,200 = 12,500 (E + U = Labor
Force) __25.6%_ 2. What is the unemployment rate for the town? 3200
/ 12500 x 100 = 25.6% __2500__ 3. How many people from above would
be considered discouraged workers?
Slide 27
Niagara County has a population of 1,800,000. Of that: __ NC
___ a. 80,000 are retired and are not looking for work. ___E____ b.
640,000 work as paid employees. ___U____ c. 37,500 are laid off and
are waiting to be called back to work. __ NC ___ d. 75,000 are
unemployed and have given up looking for work in the area.
_677,500_ 1. How many people make up the workforce? 640,000 +
37,500 = 677,500 __5.5%___ 2. What is the unemployment rate for the
county? 37,500 / 677,500 x 100 = 5.5%
Slide 28
Many members of the Senior Class at Hamburg High School are now
employed. Of the kids in the class: __U___ a. 15 have recently
applied for a job and have not been hired. __E____ b. 150 are
employed part-time. __ NC __ c. 35 dont work, arent interested in
work, never want to work and sit at home milking their parents of
their hard earned income while playing Call of Duty or dancing to
the Michael Jackson Experience. __165__ 1. How many people make up
the workforce? 150 + 15 = 165 __ 15 __ 2. How many would be
considered unemployed? __9.1%___ 3. What is the unemployment rate?
15 / 165 x 100 = 9.1%