OCR A-Level History - Civil Rights in the USA - Trade Unions

Union and Labour Rights in 1865

Knights of Labour

- 1869

- Conducted a successful strike against the Wabash Railroad in 1885, encouraging workers to join

- Membership of 700,000 by 1886

- Lost influence during Haymarket Affair of 1886

Union and Labour Rights in 1865

American Federation of Labour

- 1886

- Replaced the KOL

- By 1914 had some 2 million members

Union and Labour Rights in 1865

Industrial Workers of the World

- 1905

- Reputation for violence and militancy

- Fought for rights of poorer workers and immigrants

- Under pressure by authorities

- 100,000 members by 1923

Union and Labour Rights in 1865

Divisions of the Workforce

- African American workers accepted lower wages

- White workers no longer had monopoly of the labour market

- Immigrants from Europe and Asia increased number of workers

- Unions saw this as a challenge and refused them to join the unions

Union and Labour Rights in 1865

Homestead Strike

- 1892

- Between Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company

- Broke the union, decline in membership from 24,000 in 1891 to 10,000 in 1894

- Harmed the progress of union rights

Union and Labour Rights in 1865

Pullman Strike

- 1894

- Developed from refusal to recognise the right of workers to use collective bargaining

- Federal troops sent in to protect movement of mail

- Troops fired at the protesters killing 4 people

Impact of New Immigration and Industrialisation

Growth of Industrial Workers

- 885,000 to 3.2 million from 1860 to 1900

Impact of New Immigration and Industrialisation

Union Membership

- Grew from 500,000 at the end of 1800s to 2.5 million in 1915 and 5 million by 1920

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Laisses-faire Policy

- Belief that the government shouldn't interfere in the economy

- Businesses and owners should be allowed to manage their own affairs

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

- 1890

- Attempt to restrict monopolies by which large companies were able to control a trade

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

- 1914

- Limited the use of injunctions against striking workers

- Allowed peaceful picketing when it did not damage property

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

National War Labour Board

- Initally established in 1918 by President Wilson

- Settled disputes between workers and employees to prevent disruption of production

- Important for the success of the war

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Taft-Hartley Act

- 1947

- By Republicans to restrain union power

- Also sought to reduce influence of communists

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Role of the Supreme Court

Lochner vs. New York

- 1905

- Rejected the law which limited the number of hours a baker could work each day and week

- Court rejected the argument the law was needed to protect the health of bakers

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Role of the Supreme Court

Coppage vs. Kansas

- 1915

- Allowed yellow-dog contracts (prohibiting membership to unions)

Role of Federal governments in Union and Labour rights

Role of the Supreme Court

NIRA unconstitutional

- 1935

- Schechter Brothers sold chicken which wasn't fit for human consumption, Court ruled it wasn't a matter for federal government

- Meant that the federal government couldn't prosecute people who broke NIRA

Impact of the World Wars on Union and Labour rights

What legislation and organisations happened during the World Wars?

- Clayton Anti-Trust Act

- National War Labour Board

- Taft-Hartley Act

The 1960s

What legislation was passed in the 60s? (Kennedy)

- Equal Pay Act (1963) made wage gender discrimination illegal

The 1960s

What legislation was passed in the 60s? (Johnson)

- Civil Rights Act (1964) helped African Americans and Hispanics against discrimination at work

- Economic Opportunity Act (1964) provided funds for training people to increase employment opportunities

- Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1968) prevented discrimination for people between 40 and 65

Chavez and the UFW

What did Chavez want?

- To unionise agriculture for better wages

- Improve the Civil Rights of farmers

Chavez and the UFW

What is the UFW?

- United Farm Workers

- Major union for farm labourers that resulted from merge between the AWOC and NFWA

- Alliance between AWOC and NFWA lead to series of strikes in 1965 in the grape farming community

- Caused creation of UFW

Significance of Reagan

What were his aims?

- Reduce the power of unions

- Remove restrictive regulations that hindered US industry

Significance of Reagan

Response to PATCO strike

- 1981

- Reagan announced if workers didn't return to work within 48 hours their contracts would be ended

- Showed gov support scab labour (workers who refused to join strikes)