Organized labor

Historical Context:

Labor unions grew during the industrial revolution as workers tried to gain rights to better wages and working conditions.

Created by Mr. Steve Hauprich for acceleration and remediation of US History students

Thesis:

Labor unions overcame resistancefrom powerful industrial ownersto achieve the legal right to

Collective bargaining,

only after many years of hardshipand struggle.

Men working in factories during the industrial revolution were paid very little.

WorkingClassfamiliesrequiredmultipleincomesto pay forfood,clothing,and

shelter.

Womenworkingin factorieswere oftenpaid onlyabout halfof what Men werepaid …$6.00/week vs.$3.00/week

Children working in factories would onlybe paid about 1/10th the wage of an adult.

In the 1860’s and 1870’s a nationallabor organization called theKnights of labor was formed…attempting to unite both skilled andunskilled labor…hoping to gain legal rightsand reforms in the industrial workplace.

Unskilled Workers

The American Federation of labor would have more success…focusing on “bread and butter” issues of wages and job security .

Sam GompersAF of Lfounder

Tactics such as boycotts and strikeswere used to attain labor union goals.

Not until the 1930’s did unions finallygain the right to legal recognition andthe right to bargain for a contract for all its members called…

Collective Bargaining.

The A.F. of L.later wouldmerge with the C.I.O.Congress ofIndustrialOrganizations

…to form the AFL-CIO

A backlash against strikes andlabor union leadership corruption …led to the passage of the 1947

Taft-Hartley Act to limit Labor Union power.

___1. The process of collective bargaining is best described as

1 meetings of joint congressional committees to achieve compromise on different versions of a proposed law

2 diplomatic strategies used to make treaties between two nations3 discussions between labor union leaders and management to agree

on a  contract for workers4 negotiations between a multinational company and a nation with

which the company wishes to do business

•Workers paid weekly wage of $2.00• Immigrants work for lower wages

• Unsafe conditions in tenements and sweatshops• Attitude of "captains of industry" toward workers, problems

___2. In a history textbook, the items on this list would most likely appear in a chapter about the working conditions in the

1 colonial period under British rule2 South before the Civil War

3 age of big business from 1865 through the early 1900's4 economic recession following World War II

___3. The term "robber barons" is used to describe many industrialists of thelate 19th century mainly because they

1 made large charitable donations to worthy causes2 sought to maximize their profits by eliminating competition and 

exploiting workers3 attempted to stimulate the economy by keeping the prices of their

products as low as possible4 opposed the entry of poor and uneducated immigrants into the

United States

___4. Social Darwinism promoted the idea that

1 new immigrants were equal to native-born Americans2 stronger businesses would succeed at the expense of weaker businesses

3 the poor should be protected by government action4 natural selection is contrary to democratic principles

__5. The railroad strikes of 1877, the Haymarket Affair of 1886, and the Pullman strike of 1894 show that labor unions of that period were

1 willing to use force to achieve their goals2 unable to organize large groups of workers3 firmly committed to laissez-faire capitalism

4 supported by the Federal Government during disputes with big business

“Labor Leaders Executed for Causing Haymarket Riot”“State Militia Called In To End Homestead Strike”“1,000 Jailed as Silver Miners Protest Wage Cuts”

___6. Which statement about labor unions in the late 1800s is illustrated by these headlines?

(1) Strikes by labor unions usually gained public support.(2) The government frequently opposed labor union activities.

(3) Labor union demands were usually met.(4) Arbitration was commonly used to end labor unrest.

___8. Which group in the United States presented the strongest opposition to unlimited immigration during the late 19th century?

1 steel-producing industrialists2 steamship company owners

3 recent immigrants4 organized labor

___7. Between 1865 and 1900, what was the general attitude of the Federal Government concerning labor unions?

1 hostile toward union efforts to improve workers' conditions2 eager to act as a mediator between labor and management

3 indifferent to the struggles between workers and industry4 supportive of labor's goals

"Fifty years ago, there was a cry against slavery and men gave up their lives to stop the selling of black children on the block. Today the white child is sold for

two dollars a week to the manufacturers. Fifty years ago the black babies weresold [for cash]. Today the white baby is sold on the installment plan."

-Mother Jones, 1903

___9. In this passage the author is protesting the

1 use of child labor in industry2 exploitation of African-American children in the inner cities

3 sale of children into slavery4 ability of children to use credit in company stores

                                                                                  

___10. What is the main idea of this cartoon from the 1800s?

(1) Labor is gaining power over big business.(2) Most Americans support the labor movement.(3) Business has advantages over labor.(4) Government should support the expansion of railroads.

___11. The American Federation of Labor responded to the situation shown in the cartoon by

(1) organizing skilled workers into unions(2) encouraging open immigration(3) forming worker-owned businesses(4) creating a single union of workers and farmers

___12. The success of the American Federation of Labor in the late 19th century can be attributed to its policy of

1 supporting candidates of its own political party2 focusing on gains in wages and working conditions

3 using violence to combat big corporations4 allowing only steel workers into the union

___14. Which government action most benefited the labor union movement?

1 sending Federal troops to end the Pullman strike2 passage of the Wagner Act, guaranteeing workers the

right to organize and to bargain collectively3 imposition of wage and price controls during several

Presidential administrations4 enactment of right-to-work laws at various times

___13. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) of 1935 gave labor unions the right to

(1) represent workers in collective bargaining(2) insist on an open shop in the workplace

(3) establish quotas on immigration(4) use blacklists and yellow dog contracts

                                                                                                                 

__15. The main idea of this cartoon is that businesses in the United States have

1 generated a great quantity of solid waste2 eliminated the jobs of many workers through downsizing3 solved most environmental problems4 improved workers' lives as well as the quality of products