You touched on a critical point in your forum, as of why workers went on strike. While poverty played a significant role, in 1877, railroad employees experienced a significant pay cut, which sparked the Great Railway Strike, triggering violence and a shutdown of the railways lasting nearly six weeks. Next, the Pullman strike began with railroad owners becoming increasingly wealthier, while none of the profits trickled down to the employees. The labor walk-outs encompassed the substantial divide between social classes. Hence, rich businessmen were increasing their profits, while poor workers often remained stagnate with low wages and company issued paycuts.
1. How did the IWW differ from the AFL and other workers’ unions? The IWW and the AFL were vastly different in a variety of ways, with perhaps the most obvious difference being each union’s composition and diversity, or lack thereof. The AFL, or American Federation of Labor, was founded first as a highly selective entity comprised primarily of white males, the majority of whom were skilled laborers and therefore a social and economic cut above unskilled laborers.
Before the structured labor society that we live in today, America was a very different working world; one plagued with injustice and grievances from workers across the job sectors. Two organizations, the Knights of Labor and later the American Federation of Labor acted as activists for reform and demanded better standards for working, living, and life for workers. Their strategies and success in achieving their goals were as different as the organizations themselves. Coming from a time of segregation and social divide, the Knights of Labor stood out as one of the most accepting labor unions of the age, which largely accounted for their membership to reach almost 800,000 members during its peak. All workers in a trade were included, regardless of their skill level.
The work of Samuel Gompers acted as a catalyst to the dawning of the Progressive Era. Gompers’ revolutionary union work advocated for social justice and regulation within factories. HIs work with expanding the rights of workers through factory regulation and organized unions was continued even after his death by the organization her started in 1886. The American Federation of Labor outlasted even the Knights of Labor, and today is still a well respected organization. The American Federation of Labor grew from 50,000 members in 1886, to nearly 3 million members in 1924.
The feeling, shown in Nast's illustration after the railroad strike of 1877, that amalgamations simply lead to more " communistic values" and general uniformity made it very arduous to genuinely get anything done. Samuel Gompers, progenitor of the American Federation of Labor, argued that the right to strike was absolutely obligatory if any reforms were going to be made and not even this right had been officially granted to the people by regime (Document I). Gompers made it very pellucid that not even the very substratum of organized labor had been established and so up until this point the advances that had been made, were virtually frivolous. In conclusion, from 1875-1900 very few advances were made through organized labor in achieving better working conditions for workers.
“In the United States history of unions, early workers and trade unions played an important part in the role for independence” (Union Plus). In 1866, the National Labor Union (NLU) ambitiously tried to achieve equal rights for women, African Americans, and mandate eight-hour work days. They managed to convince Congress to adopt the eight-hour work day, but only for federal employees. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) with approximately 1.4 million members was successful in wage negotiation, and enhanced work conditions for its members. “A combination of factors contributed to the debilitating Panic of 1873, which triggered what the public referred to at the time as the “Great Depression” of the 1870s” (OpenStax College, 2014).
However, the economic crises in 1837 collapsed the labor unions because of economic hard times, and with immigrants coming in surplus willing to work for cheap, regular people could not compete and thus had to work at the beckon of the factories. Labor unions worked when the economy was resilient, but when the economy was shocked, everyone was too afraid of demanding more when there were those willing to work for
The National Labor Relations Act allows employees to form a union or join a preexisting union. The same act prevents employers from standing in the way of workers attempting to unionize. Many organizations frown on unionization, but regardless of their opinion, they cannot interfere with employment rights. Employers are violating the law if they threaten employee 's jobs, question union activities, or eliminate benefits for employees by unionization. They also cannot offer benefits or perks to employees for refusing to unionize, as this could be seen as illegal persuasion (Employer/Union Rights, n.d.).
Throughout history, it has been evident that the setting of events will always shape how they occur. Be it from past events, the present, or even everyday life. Geography always plays a part in these occurrences. It will be demonstrated how geography affects how things happen by taking a look at The Crucible, “Geography Matters,” and my own life. Firstly, geography affects how certain circumstances are shaped as demonstrated in The Crucible.
The first similarities among the collective labor unions are that they each had the goal of obtaining better conditions for the worker. With factories rising at such a fast pace, it was virtually impossible for workers to control or improve their working conditions. The NLU first organized with plans on uniting different labor unions with the intent of creating a common movement or a national organization. The NLU fought for higher wages and shorter hours through Legislative reform instead of bargaining.
The AFL advocated for most of the same things as the Knights of Labor. The American Federation of Labor used strikes and boycotts against owners to try and get what they wanted. Two major strikes that occurred were the Pullman Strike and the Homestead Strike. Both strikes were very dangerous and had millions of dollars of damage. Some of the strikes and boycotts did work and wages were raised, however some backfired and many workers ended up losing their
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) broadside from 1881 refers to the common American worker experience of long hours, poor working conditions and low wages and lack of jobs. The broadside mentions the AFL’s national efforts to improve working conditions through the following activities: financial aid during boycotts, strikes and lockouts; regular communication between organizers, members, and sympathizers; information campaigns; and Congressional oversight and lobbying efforts. The broadside makes a general reference to the to the common working conditions found in the industrialized America of the late 1800’s when most industrial workers during this period worked terribly long hours, often with a split shift schedule that left
• The first labor union in US: The first national labor federation in the United States was The National Labor Union (NLU), founded in 1866 and led by William Sylvian. The National Labor United brought together all white men workers, skilled and unskilled workers, as well as farmers. Chinese, African American, and women were excluded.
Trade unions may also provide legal advice, financial assistance, sickness benefits and education facilities to their members. Trade union membership has been decline across the industrialized market economies in recent years. Decline in membership is due to largely to common developments such as a decline in employment in traditionally manufacturing industry and the growth of service employment and increasing levels of employment. The trade union’s main aim is to protect and advance the interest of its members in the workplace.
