Objective 2.3 -- Workers and Labor Unions
Summary
TLDRThe Gilded Age saw the exploitation of labor with low wages and dangerous conditions, prompting the formation of labor unions like the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, advocating for better wages and conditions. The American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World emerged, representing skilled and unskilled workers, respectively. Unions used collective bargaining and strikes to negotiate with employers, leading to significant labor events like the Great Strike of 1877 and the Pullman Strike. These movements influenced business decisions and politics, leading to the establishment of Labor Day to honor the labor movement's contributions.
Takeaways
- 🏭 The Gilded Age saw the exploitation of labor with new technologies replacing skilled and unskilled workers, leading to low wages and poor working conditions.
- 👨👩👧👦 Families, including children, had to work long hours in dangerous conditions to survive, with a high risk of injury or death.
- 👷♂️ Workers demanded change and began to consolidate into labor unions to negotiate better wages and conditions with their employers.
- 🔗 The National Labor Union (NLU) was one of the earliest labor unions in the U.S., advocating for an eight-hour workday.
- 🤝 The Knights of Labor focused on individual workers and called for equal pay for women, highlighting the early push for gender equality in the workforce.
- 🛠️ The American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded by Samuel Gompers, organized skilled labor in craft unions, emphasizing the value of specific skills to employers.
- 🌎 The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), led by Eugene V. Debs, represented unskilled labor and called for a radical socialist revolution against capitalist greed.
- 🤝 Collective bargaining was a key strategy used by unions to negotiate with employers, leveraging the strength of numbers for better outcomes.
- 🚫 Strikes were used as a powerful tool by unions to pressure firms by threatening to shut down operations and causing economic loss.
- 📅 Several defining events in labor history include the Great Strike of 1877, the Haymarket Affair in 1886, and the Pullman Strike, which led to federal intervention and the assertion of government power.
- 🎉 Labor unions have become a significant political force, influencing business decisions and shaping political discourse around workers' rights and conditions, culminating in the establishment of Labor Day.
Q & A
What was the dark side of the success of big business during the Gilded Age?
-The dark side was the exploitation of labor, where new technologies and innovations made workers less valuable, leading to low wages, dangerous working conditions, and the use of child labor.
Why were children more prone to injury during the Gilded Age?
-Children were more prone to injury because they were able to manipulate machinery in ways adults could not, such as reaching into machines to fix them without taking them apart, which made their work more dangerous.
What were the main demands of the National Labor Union (NLU)?
-The main demand of the NLU was for an eight-hour workday for all workers, as they typically worked 12 to 14 hours a day.
What was the focus of the Knights of Labor regarding equal pay?
-The Knights of Labor focused on individuals and called for equal pay for women, highlighting gender equality in the workforce.
Who founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and what was its approach to organizing labor?
-The AFL was founded by labor leader Samuel Gompers and organized skilled labor through craft unionism, where workers had specific skills that were valuable to their bosses.
What is the difference between craft unionism and industrial unionism as represented by the AFL and the IWW?
-Craft unionism, represented by the AFL, organizes skilled labor with specific skills, making them more valuable and harder to replace. Industrial unionism, represented by the IWW, organizes unskilled and semi-skilled laborers, focusing on a broader range of workers in factories.
What was the goal of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and its founder, Eugene V. Debs?
-The IWW, led by Eugene V. Debs, aimed to organize unskilled and semi-skilled laborers and believed that capitalist greed had failed American workers. They called for a radical socialist revolution in America.
What is collective bargaining and why is it important for unions?
-Collective bargaining is when unions negotiate deals with their bosses as a group, leveraging strength in numbers to gain more power in negotiations and achieve better conditions for workers.
What is a strike and how was it used by labor unions to pressure firms?
-A strike is a work stoppage used by unions to pressure firms by shutting down their factories, threatening the loss of profits, and demanding better conditions or wages.
What were some significant events that defined the era of labor organizing in the United States?
-Significant events include the Great Strike of 1877 over wage cuts, the Haymarket affair in 1886 which turned violent, and the Pullman Strike where workers struck against the town created by George Pullman.
Why is Labor Day celebrated and what does it commemorate?
-Labor Day is celebrated at the end of August and early September every year to commemorate the contributions of the labor movement in America, recognizing the efforts to improve working conditions and rights for workers.
Outlines
🏭 Dark Side of Industrial Success
The Gilded Age's prosperity for big businesses came at the cost of labor exploitation. Workers faced low wages, necessitating family-wide employment for survival, including child labor. Dangerous working conditions led to frequent injuries and deaths. Workers endured long hours without benefits, poor sanitation, and unsafe environments. In response, labor unions emerged as collective entities to demand better wages and conditions, starting with the National Labor Union advocating for an eight-hour workday. The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor (AFL) followed, with the AFL focusing on skilled labor, while the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), led by Eugene V. Debs, aimed for a socialist revolution, advocating for unskilled laborers and criticizing capitalist greed.
🔨 The Power of Labor Unions
Labor unions played a pivotal role in advocating for workers' rights, influencing big businesses to prioritize more than just profit. They pushed for improved working conditions and fair wages, becoming a significant political force in America. Politicians had to address workers' rights to gain support. Key events, such as the Great Strike of 1877, Haymarket Affair, and the Pullman Strike, marked the labor movement's struggles and victories. These events led to federal intervention and the eventual recognition of workers' rights. Labor Day is celebrated to honor the movement's contributions to American society, emphasizing the importance of workers' rights and fair labor practices.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Gilded Age
💡Exploitation of labor
💡Labor unions
💡Monopolies
💡Eight-hour workday
💡Craft unionism
💡Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
💡Collective bargaining
💡Strikes
💡Child labor
💡Labor Day
Highlights
The Gilded Age saw the exploitation of labor with new technologies replacing skilled and unskilled workers.
Low wages during this era required entire families, including children, to work for survival.
Workers faced dangerous conditions with a high rate of injury or death on the job.
Laborers had to endure long hours without sick leave or vacation, and poor factory sanitation.
Child labor was prevalent, with children starting work at age six and performing hazardous tasks due to their size.
In response to harsh conditions, workers began to form labor unions to demand better wages and conditions.
The National Labor Union (NLU) was one of the earliest labor unions, advocating for an eight-hour workday.
The Knights of Labor emerged, focusing on individual workers and advocating for equal pay for women.
As unions grew, specialized groups like the American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed to represent skilled labor.
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded to represent unskilled labor and called for a socialist revolution.
Eugene V. Debs, a spokesman for industrial unionism, ran for president under the Socialist Party in 1912.
Unions used strategies like collective bargaining and strikes to negotiate better conditions with employers.
The Great Strike of 1877 was a significant event where railroad workers protested wage cuts, leading to riots.
The Haymarket Affair in 1886 was a turning point where a labor protest escalated into violence with a bomb thrown at police.
The Pullman Strike showcased the power struggle between workers and management, ending with federal intervention.
Labor unions have made big businesses consider workers' welfare, leading to improved conditions and wages.
Labor unions have become a political force, influencing politicians to address workers' rights and conditions.
Labor Day is celebrated to commemorate the contributions of the labor movement in America.
Transcripts
the success of big business in the
Gilded Age had a dark side
it was the exploitation of labor new
technologies and innovations made
workers less valuable to firms skilled
and unskilled labor were replaced by new
machinery and new equipment in all areas
of the workforce workers received low
wages wages were so low that everyone in
the family needed to work in order for
the family to survive including young
children working conditions were so
dangerous that one in every 300 workers
were either injured or killed on the job
workers also faced long hours most
workers had to work seven days a week 12
hours a day with no sick leave and no
vacation and poor sanitation most
factories had dirty floors and poor
ventilation you need to help problems
for the workers inside child labor was a
common practice during the Gilded Age
here you can see some images of children
working children started working at the
age of six children typically did
dangerous work because they were able to
manipulate machinery in ways that larger
adults could not they could reach into
machines and fix them without having to
take them apart this also made children
more prone to injury due to these
conditions workers demanded change these
workers follow the example of robber
barons and merged and consolidated into
monopolies of the workforce these
monopolies were called labor unions
workers wanted to get better wages and
better working conditions from their
bosses among the earliest labor unions
that formed in the United States was the
national labor union also known as the
NLU it linked 300 unions in 13 different
states into one central labor union
group the main demand of the national
labor union was for an eight-hour
workday for all workers workers
typically worked 12 to 14 hours a day
the next labor union is the Knights of
Labor the Knights of Labor focused on
individuals and called for equal pay for
women as unions became more popular and
union membership grew across the country
the representation began to splinter
more groups were needed to focus
attention on specific types of workers
one such group was the American
Federation of Labor also known as the
AFL founded by labor leader Samuel
Gompers the AFL organized skilled labor
in what we call craft unionism the craft
in craft unionism refers to the fact the
workers represented by the AFL had
specific skills that were valuable to
their bosses this made it harder to
replace them and therefore made them
more valuable the next labor union is
the Industrial Workers of the world also
known as the iw is founded by Eugene
v-dubs Debs was a spokesman for
industrial unionism Debs organized
unskilled and semi-skilled laborers
these are workers that typically worked
in factories Eugene V Debs and the IWW
believe that capitalist greed had failed
American workers
and called for a radical socialist
revolution in America Debs and his ideas
became so popular that he ran for
president under the Socialist Party in
1912 actually winning some votes in
order to achieve their goals unions use
diverse strategies some of these
strategies were peaceful some not so
peaceful one strategy was collective
bargaining collective bargaining was
when unions negotiated deals with their
bosses as a group the principle behind
collective bargaining is strength in
numbers if you negotiate on your own
it's easier for your boss to deny what
you want if you negotiate as a group it
gives you a little bit more power in
your negotiation the next strategy that
was used with strikes strikes are work
stoppages in which unions would pressure
firms with shutting down their factories
with the threat of losing profits
strikes were used in various degrees by
various unions the AFL struct often
while the Knights of Labor you striking
as a last resort with their newfound
power and different techniques of
negotiation there are several events
that came to define the new era of labor
organizing
the first was the great strike of 1877
railroad workers struck over wage cuts
that resulted in riots across the city
which was put down by federal troops
squares of striking workers were killed
and the federal government asserted its
power to regulate commerce in the
Constitution by using force to put down
a strike the next event is the Haymarket
affair in 1886 a labor protest rally
near Chicago's Haymarket Square turned
into a riot after someone threw a bomb
at police at least eight people died as
a result of the violence that day the
third event is the Pullman Strike do you
remember the town of Pullman created by
railroad magnate George Pullman workers
eventually struck against Pullman and
stopped all work in the town in order to
break up the effectiveness of the strike
Pullman brought in scabs scabs are
workers who are hired to replace
striking workers eventually the Pullman
Strike was broken up by the feds and the
town collapsed so why does it matter
labor unions forced big business
consider workers when making their
decisions it was no longer purely about
profit it was now about working
conditions and higher wages for their
workers labor unions also become a
political power in America they make
their voices heard with protests and
every politician who now runs for office
must address the rights of workers and
working conditions in order to get
working votes and finally we celebrate
Labor Day at the end of August and early
September every year to commemorate the
contributions of the labor movement in
America
you
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