Chapter 14 – Section 4Unions

“''Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”

- Abraham Lincoln

“And what have our unions done? What do they aim to do? To improve the standard of life, to uproot ignorance and foster education, to instill character, manhood and independent spirit among our people; to bring about a recognition of the interdependence of man upon his fellow man. We aim to establish a normal work-day, to take the children from the factory and workshop and give them the opportunity of the school and the play-ground. In a word, our unions strive to lighten toil, educate their members, make their homes more cheerful, and in every way contribute an earnest effort toward making life the better worth living.”

- Samuel Gompers

Working in the United States

Factory work is tedious, monotonous, and removes the laborer’s individual contribution to the craftsmanship or quality of the work – focus is on efficiency

Working conditions were poor – no safety guards for machinery, no ventilation, risk of injury was high

By 1900 average industrial worker made 22 cents an hour, and worked 59 hours a week

Working in the United StatesOn the other hand:

Real wages (the actual purchasing power of money) rose by 50% from 1860 to 1890

Prices fell throughout the late 1800s due to deflation, so laborers’ wages went further

deflation – rise in the value of money

Employers cut wages, but because prices were falling their purchasing power actually went up – an economic fact that was lost on the workers

To fight pay cuts, workers began to form labor unions

Early Unions

Two types of workers:1. craft workers2. common laborers

Craft workers had skilled trades – stonecutter, glassblower, shoemaker, printer, carpenter, etc.

With the extra bargaining power their skills gave them, craft workers formed trade unions

Opposition to Unions

Employers thought of unions as illegitimate conspiracies which interfered with their property rights

industrial unions – united all workers in a particular industry

Businesses used undercover detectives, oaths, blacklists, lockouts, and strikebreakers to fight back against unions

strikebreaker – replacement worker, also known as a “scab”

Opposition to UnionsPublic opinion was also skeptical of unions

No laws giving unions the right of collective bargaining, and courts often ruled that union organizers were breaking the law by restraining trade

Marxism and anarchism followed numerous European immigrants to the U.S.

Marxism – roughly, the idea that the workers would seize the means of production and distribute wealth equally

Anarchism – belief that society needed no government

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Panic of 1873 is in full swing

Strike begins in Martinsburg, West Virginia, when the railroad company announces yet another pay cut

Workers walk off the job, first in Martinsburg, and eventually all over the country

Involved 80,000 workers, 11 states, and 2/3 of the nation’s railroads

State militias fought armed strikers, and president Hayes ordered the Army to fight the strikers

Combination of disorganization and U.S. military power broke up the strike

The Knights of LaborFirst nationwide industrial union

Goals:eight-hour workdaygovernment bureau of labor statisticsequal pay for womenabolition of child laborworker-owned factories

Initially, the Knights used boycotts and arbitration, and only later moved to strikes

The pressure they exerted was successful – membership grew and they were able to get companies to reverse pay cuts on several occasions

The Haymarket RiotMay 3, 1886

Massive strike in Chicago

Police officers killed one of the strikers during an incident at the McCormick Reaper Works

Approximately 3,000 protesters gathered in the Haymarket Square to listen to speeches and protest

When the police arrived to break up the group, someone threw a bomb, leaving eleven dead

Because one of those convicted of throwing the bomb was a member of the Knights of Labor, their organization took a PR hit from which it never recovered

The Pullman StrikeAmerican Railway Union was created in 1893

Led by Eugene V. Debs, who will later be a socialist candidate for president

Panic of 1893 leads to a severe cut in wages, making it hard for railroad workers to make a living

May, 1894 – Pullman company fires three workers who complained

American Railway Union goes on strike across the nation

To break the strike, companies arranged to have U.S. mail cars attached to their railroads – president Grover Cleveland sent in the Army

Strike ended as a failure

The American Federation of Labor

Association of more than 20 of the nation’s trade unions

Led by Samuel Gompers

Rejected both communism and socialism

Focus was on gains like an 8-hour workday, higher wages, better working conditions

3 Main Goals:collective bargainingclosed shops8-hour workday

Largest union in the nation

Working WomenWomen made up approximately 18% of the labor force

Those who worked were limited to what society considered women’s work:• 1/3 as domestic servants• 1/3 as nurses, teachers,

secretaries• 1/3 in light industrial jobs

(textiles and food prep)

Women were paid less, even for performing the same jobs – everyone assumed a father or husband was helping support the women, so men who had families to support deserved higher wages

{From ssa.gov Median wage & salaries of Social Security-covered employment 1940-2008

Click icon to add picture