SOCI 360 SociAL Movements And Community Change Professor Kurt Reymers, Ph.D. sociology.morrisville.edu
1. Industrialization created massive changes in American and European societies in the 1800s. In the U.S., the Labor Movement was a response to intense industrialization during and after the Civil War (Reconstruction). Industrial capitalists had a firm hold on every aspect of production, and there were no regulations against mistreatment of workers.
2. The Labor Movement can be broken down into three periods: a. Era of Union Opposition, 1790-1914 b. Era of Union Support, 1914-1945 c. Era of Union Stabilization, 1947-2002
2.a. Era of Union Opposition, 1790-1914 i. 1790s - The first hints of unionization are found among craftsmakers (including printers, shoemakers, tailors, carpenters, and bakers.) ii. 1806 - In a Philadelphia court case involving cordswainers (or shoemakers), the merging of employees into unions were deemed illegal (and organizers were prosecuted under conspiracy charges). iii. 1870s - After the Civil War, one of the first successful (but still illegal) unions was the Knights of Labor. iv. 1886 - Samuel Gompers led the first national trade union, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to advocate collective bargaining, trade autonomy, exclusive jurisdictions, standard hours, and better wages and working conditions. v. 1914 The Ludlow Massacre (low point in labor history)
2.b. Era of Union Support, 1914-1945 i. 1914-18 -World War I : President Wilson created the national War labor Board which recognized employee collective bargaining rights during the war. ii. 1935 - Wagner Act. The basis of much U.S. labor support to follow. Within 12 years, union membership tripled in the United States. Upheld by the Supreme Court in 1937. Created the national Labor Relations Board. iii. 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. Provided minimum wage, 40-hour week, overtime pay, and the abolition of child labor. iv. 1941-1945 - World War II. Widespread labor strikes during and after the war harmed the war effort and caused strong anti-labor public sympathy.
2.c. Era of Union Decline, 1947-2002 i. 1947 - Taft-Hartley Amendments. Amended Wagner Act to equalize the balance between labor and management. Also created right-to-work states. ii. 1955 - AFL and CIO merge. New unity spurred labor hopes for membership gains, which failed to materialize (25% of labor force in 1955, 18% in 1988). iii. 1981 - Air traffic controllers, (PATCO) strike. President Reagan uses replacement workers to end the first declared national strike against the federal government. The success of his action spurs a period of increased use of replacement workers in private and public sectors, reducing the number of strikes. iv. 2002 - West Coast Dock strike. Over 10,500 longshoremen stage a costly strike ($1 billion/day), which closes 29 west coast docks. President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act to temporarily reopen the ports.
Activity: Observe the following photographs and identify the different impacts industrialization on labor. While viewing each photograph think about the following: Who is doing the work? What are the hazards? What type of work are they doing? Would they need training? (skilled vs. unskilled) Think about these questions when you are looking at the pictures! What was it like to live during this time period?
Three miners waiting to use the primitive elevator to lower them into the mining shaft for a days work.
Who does the man riding the chariot represent?
Children stand on the machine while it is in motion.
A candle would be placed into his hat to provide light while working in the mines.
The great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 16, when railroad workers for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad staged a spontaneous strike after yet another wage cut. After President Rutherford Hayes sent federal troops to West Virginia to save the nation from insurrection, the strike spread across the nation. A picture of burned railroad cars during the mass strike
Police respond to the protestors and a bomb goes off The result-. In response the police spray the crowd with bullets and 10 more workers die with another 50 injured. Haymarket Square prior to the demonstration as protestors being to rally.
Haymarket Square Chicago 1886 Workers from McCormick Harvesting Machine Company struck for an 8 hour day (They wanted a reduction in the amount of hours they worked in a given day). However, the Knights of Labor (union) did not support their actions. Police came - four strikers killed and several wounded. Next day at a rally in Haymarket Square- anarchists spoke up against police & treatment of workers. Thousands protest the killings and during the rally the police break up the meeting. Someone then threw a bomb at the police, killing 7 policemen. In response the police spray the crowd with bullets and 10 more workers die with another 50 injured. Result: Anti-labor feelings sweep the nation and membership in the Knights of Labor Union fell drastically.
Owner George Pullman, who hoped to prevent labor discontent, but he was not willing to grant high wages. Pullman housed his workers in a company town. Instead of living in tenements like other industrial workers of the day, Pullman workers lived in attractive company-owned houses, with indoor plumbing, gas, and sewers. However, workers for Pullman lived in a "company town" where everything was owned by the corporation, including their housing and local store. The Pullman Company controlled every aspect of their lives, and practiced "debt slavery" Money owed was automatically deducted from workers' paychecks and frequently workers would never see their earnings at all. The workers children were responsible for the debt if the parents didn t pay it off. National Guard fires on Pullman strikers, from Harper's Weekly (1894)