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Labor Unions seek to improve: Wages Working Conditions Benefits

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Strike Work Stoppage

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Craft Unions Workers with similar skills who work in different industries for different employers

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Industrial Unions For workers with different skills who work in the same industry

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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

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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

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Congress of Industrial Organizations Organized unions for industrial workers

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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The synopsis of these three strikes? 1.They were all unsuccessful 2.They turned violent 3.They drove down union membership

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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

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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

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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

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Fair Labor Standards Act Set a minimum wage Required extra pay for overtime Made most child labor illegal

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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

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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

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Taft Hartley Act Limited union activities Increased the governments power to intervene if a strike might threaten national security

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Landrum Griffin Act Forbade communists from holding union offices Required tighter financial and electoral accounting

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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

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Binding Arbitration Decision by a neutral third party that each side agrees ahead of time to accept

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Injunction Government forcing you back to work

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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?

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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%

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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%