The Birth of Unions SE: US 3B. By Brad Harris, Grand Prairie HS

Transcription

1 The Birth of Unions SE: US 3B By Brad Harris, Grand Prairie HS

2 What is a Labor Union? A labor union is an organization of workers who unite to protect the rights of the workers from abusive practices of the employer

3 What is a Labor Strike? A labor strike is when a labor union refuses to go to work in order to shut down a business because of poor working conditions or poor pay

4 Early Unions The free enterprise system meant that businesses made their own rules Without government interference, business owners could pay their workers what they wanted and make them work as long as they wanted Industrialization during the late 1800s contributed to the development of organized labor because it created low-wage, low-skill jobs that made employees easy to replace.

5 Suppressing the Unions Union organizers were blacklisted, making it impossible for them to get a job Businesses locked workers out and refused to pay them Workers were forced to sign contracts saying they would not join a union

6 Karl Marx Karl Marx was the German philosopher, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. Marx argued that free market capitalism, like previous socio-economic systems, will inevitably produce internal tensions which will lead to its destruction

7 Marxism Marx believed that workers would eventually revolt, take control of factories, and overthrow the government. Once the workers did this, the new workers-led government would take all private property and distribute wealth evenly among every citizen. Marxism greatly influenced European unions and led to numerous revolutions in Europe in the mid-1800s. When immigrants came to the U.S. from Europe, many feared they would bring their ideas of workers revolutions with them, leading to a distrust of many Americans of immigrant workers.

8 Mary Harris Mother Jones Mother Jones was the nation s most prominent woman union leader during the American Industrial Revolution Jones became an organizer for the United Mine Workers She traveled to numerous mining camps to see conditions miners had to endure. She gave fiery speeches for miners to unite to fight for better working conditions and better pay.

9 Eugene V. Debs was the powerful leader of the American Railway Union. Eugene V. Debs Debs would run for president four times as a candidate for the Socialist Party

10 American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor was the union of over 20 trade unions Samuel Gompers was the union s first leader. Gompers believed unions should stay out of politics and that they should negotiate rather than go on strike.

11 Great Railroad Strike of 1877 In 1877, an economic recession led to some railroads cutting wages, triggering the first nationwide labor strike. It became known as the Great Railroad Strike.

12 Great Railroad Strike of 1877 Some workers turned violent and numerous states had to call out their state militias to stop the violence.

13 Knights of Labor In response to the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, labor organizers formed the first nationwide industrial union the Knights of Labor. The Knights called for an eight-hour workday, supported the use of arbitration AND began to organize strikes.

14 Haymarket Riot The Haymarket Riot was the disturbance that took place on May 4, 1886, in Chicago, and began as a rally in support of striking workers.

15 Haymarket Riot A bomb was thrown during the rally, which started a riot. Eight men were convicted and four of them were executed. One was a member of the Knights of Labor.

16 Homestead Strike The Homestead Strike occurred in 1892 when workers of Andrew Carnegie s U.S. Steel went on strike after a tense labor dispute led to a lockout.

17 Homestead Strike The Homestead Strike one of the most violent strikes in U.S. history and was a major setback for unions.

18 Pullman Strike The Pullman Strike refers to a nationwide conflict between labor unions and railroads that occurred near Chicago in 1894.

19 Pullman Strike Following the firing of union workers, Debs organized a strike that shut down the nation s railroads and threatened the economy.

20 Impact of union strikes Union membership declined as many people saw unions as being Un-American and violent

21 IWW (Wobblies) The International Workers of the World (IWW) is the union created in Chicago in 1905 that was made up primarily of socialists and anarchists The IWW called for all workers to be united as a class and no wage system

22 Women s Trade Union League In the early 1900s, women were paid less than men, and most unions did not include women. As a result, in 1903 the Women s Trade Union League was formed This was the first union organized to address women s labor issues.

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25 Summary The free enterprise system is based on the laissez-faire theory, meaning that the government should not interfere with or regulate business Industrialization contributed to the development of labor unions because it created low-wage, low-skill jobs that made employees easy to replace The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 led to the first nationwide industrial union the Knights of Labor Samuel Gompers formed the American Federation of Labor, the largest trade union in the nation

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