10.2 Business Reactions to Strikes

The labor movement gained strength as more workers joined unions and made demands on owners and managers.
The prevailing business philosophy prioritized product and profit with little regard for workers.
Businesses viewed union organizing negatively and tried to prevent or slow it down.

Definition: An agreement where a worker, as a condition of hiring, pledges not to belong to a labor union.
Purpose: To control union activity and prevent union organizers from entering factories.
Legal Actions: Allowed employers to take legal action against union organizers.
Historical Context:
- Referred to as the "infamous document" or "ironclad document" in the 1870s.
- In 1887, 16 states enacted laws making it a criminal offense to forbid employees from joining unions.
- The 1898 Erdmann Act applied this provision to businesses involved in interstate trade.
Late 1800s: Workers increasingly disregarded yellow dog provisions, and union organizers became widespread.
Early 1900s: Resurfaced in the coal and steel industries.

Definition: A union located within and controlled by a company, not affiliated with independent union organizations.
Function: Purported to understand and address the specific needs of its members.
Reality: Union leaders often aligned with management, providing little benefit to members.
Worker Preference: Most workers preferred external representation to advocate for change.
Primary Allegiance: Company unions often prioritized the company's interests over those of its members.

Connection: These concepts relate to the structure and requirements of union membership in workplaces.
Open Shop:
- Definition: Does not consider union membership in hiring and does not favor union members over non-union members.
Closed Shop:
- Definition: Requires workers to belong to a specific union as a precondition of being hired.
Union Shop:
- Definition: Does not require union membership at hiring, but workers must typically join a specific union within a set period.
Historical Prevalence: All three types were common in the late 1800s.
Skilled vs. Unskilled Trades:
- Closed and union shops were more common in skilled trades to ensure a qualified workforce.
- Open shops were associated with less-skilled jobs but were targeted by union organizers.
Employer Resistance: Employers in open shops actively resisted unionization.

Purpose: Employed by businesses to counter strikes and maintain production.
Definition: Non-union workers willing to cross union picket lines and work in the factory.
Reactions: Strikebreakers faced derogatory remarks and violence from striking workers.
Violence: Often severe, leading some strikebreakers to quit.
Government Intervention: Owners often requested government troops to suppress violence.
- State militia (National Guard forerunner) could be deployed by the governor.
- Federal troops could be requested from Washington.
- Private forces like the Pinkerton Agency were hired to meet violence with violence.
Outcomes: Troop deployment usually escalated the conflict, often leading to the union's defeat.
Consequences for Union Members:
- Workers risked their lives for the cause.
- Strikers faced termination.
- Union leaders and vocal members were blacklisted, preventing them from being hired elsewhere.

Definition: A tactic where management closes the factory, locks the gates, and posts armed guards to prevent workers from entering.
Purpose: To preempt strikes and weaken the union's position.
Preparation: Management would increase production and stockpile products before a potential strike.
Impact: With sufficient stockpiles, the factory could continue business as usual, weakening the strike.
Outcomes: Workers would eventually tire of striking and might agree to return to work, potentially at lower pay.

Definition: Strikes in related industries triggered by a strike in one area.
Example: A strike by railroad car builders could lead to conductors and engineers also striking.
Impact: The Pullman strike demonstrated how sympathy strikes could shut down entire systems.
Government Response: Large-scale sympathy strikes often faced government intervention to end them quickly.

Late 1800s/Early 1900s: Continuous conflict between labor and management.
Dynamics: Labor made demands, management resisted, strikes ensued, and a waiting game began.
Business Tactics: Businesses employed various methods to control striking workers, generally with success.
Legal System: Favored factory owners and managers over workers.

Purpose: A method for management to control workers.
Description: Requires workers to sign a contract agreeing not to join a union.
View from Utah Editor:
- Condemned the agreement as reducing workers to the level of a "yellow dog."
- Argued it stripped workers of their constitutional rights, making them slaves to the employer.

Historical Context: 15th-16th century England during the Bubonic Plague (Black Death).
Plague and Labor: Workers handling dead bodies demanded higher wages due to the risk of infection.
Replacement Workers: Soldiers were assigned to replace them as they could not demand higher wages.
Medical Connection: Plague symptoms included oozing sores that scabbed over.
Etymology: Soldiers replacing the original workers were called "scabs."

Question: What type of shop requires workers to belong to a specific union as a precondition of being hired?
- Correct Answer: C. Closed shop