APUSH Review: Labor Unions

Labor Union

Workers unite within a trade, industry, or workforce to achieve common goals- Union leadership negotiates on behalf of union worker members with owners/managers - Common goals include: higher wages, benefits, improved working conditions

Tactics of Labor Unions

• Collective bargaining - uniting as a group to arbitrate with owners/managers over demands o Political action and efficacy - informed union members of government officials and policies affecting labor

• Picketing - assemble in front of workplaces to protest ownership

• Strikes - organized walkouts until demands met

• Boycotts - cease buying particular goods/services

• Slowdowns - deliberately slow down production and efficiency until demands met

Tactics of Owners/Managers Against Unions

Public relations - use public media to promote ownership and denounce unions, sometimes as socialist, anarchist, or un-American

• Lockouts - shut down workplace therefore not paying workers

• Scabs - replacement workers

• Blacklists - publicized lists of union members to prevent hiring

• Yellow-dog contracts - workers offered employment if they do not join unions

• Government authorities/private security - call upon police force to break up strikes as threats to public interest and owner safety

• Court injunctions - use of court system to force employees back to work or face criminal/civil penalties

Mechanics' Trade Union Association (1927

First labor union to include different trades

Collective Bargaining

Uniting as a group to arbitrate with owners/managers over demands.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)

Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled labor unions are legal organizations and had the right to strike.

National Labor Union (NLU) (1866)

One of the first major national labor organizations, favored arbitration over strikes, and offered membership to women and blacks.

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Strikes against Baltimore and Ohio Railroads spreading across the northeast, becoming violent and leading to federal troops policing a labor dispute.

Knights of Labor (1869)

Sought higher wages, cooperatives, and child labor laws, endorsed arbitration, education, and cooperation, and included blacks, women, and immigrants.

Haymarket Riot (May 4, 1888)

Bomb thrown in crowd during May Day celebration and 8-hour workday strike in Chicago, leading to negative public reaction to unions.

American Federation of Labor (AFL) (1886)

Focused on practical goals: higher wages, shorter working hours, improved working conditions, consisted mostly of skilled workers.

Homestead Strike (1892)

Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers strike against wage cuts, leading to violence and weakening of labor unions.

Pullman Strike (1894)

Pullman car workers strike leading to a boycott by Eugene V. Debs, Pullman owners used Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Coal Strike of 1902

United Mine Workers strike against anthracite mine owners in Pennsylvania, resulting in President Theodore Roosevelt brokering a compromise.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) (1905)

Labor organization of industrial unionism including workers of all skills, trades, and immigrants; direct action included strikes, boycotts, sabotage, violence.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911)

Fire at factory in New York City killing 146 women, leading to call for working conditions reform.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914)

Protected labor unions from Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Adamson Act (1916)

Establishes 8-hour workday for railroad workers and overtime compensation.

Wagner Act/National Labor Relations Act (1935)

Guaranteed the right to join unions and collective bargaining

Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

Established federal minimum wage, maximum 40-hour workweek, overtime, and child labor laws..