WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
A LABOR UNION?
Labor Union


an organization of
workers formed for
the purpose of
advancing its
members' interests in
respect to wages,
benefits, and working
conditions
Merriam-Webster
Dictionary
How a union works?

Most gain power through collective bargaining
 Unions
negotiating with employers on behalf of all
employees
 try to gain better pay, conditions, et cetera for the
whole group


The unions power lies in its numbers, unity & ability
to take action (strike…?)
BUT the employer can always hire scabs or make
employees sign yellow dog contracts
Unions in America


As early as revolutionary period unions existed in
America, mostly temporary & based on individual
crafts
Became more widespread, more diverse and more
permanent during the 19th century
National Labor Union

FIRST national labor federation in the United States
 founded in 1866
 Dissolved
in 1874
 Led by William H Sylvis




Paved the way for other unions (Knights, AFL)
Wanted to bring together all the other labor
organizations
Favored arbitration over strikes
Called for the creation of a National Labor Party
National Labor Union

NLU drew its support from:
 Construction
Unions
 Skilled Workers
 BUT


they encouraged unskilled workers and farmers to join!
Fought Chinese immigration
Half-heartedly fought for the
rights of women and blacks
Knights of Labor



One of the very first unions to form
after the Civil War (1869)
Founder: Uriah Stephens
Anyone is allowed to join!
 Regardless
of race, gender, skill
 BUT bankers, doctors, lawyers, gamblers, stockholders,
and liquor manufactures couldn’t join


8 hour day, equal pay for all men and women,
ending child labor, bargaining > strikes
Collapsed after unsuccessful strikes
American Federation of Labor (AFL)



Founded in 1881
International trade unions joined with other trade
and craft unions to form the AFL
Led by Samuel Gompers
 Used

a lot of strikes
Focused on collective bargaining
 Groups
negotiate to reach written
agreements between workers and
employers

Skilled workers only
Industrial Workers of the World






Socialist union, led by
Bob Haywood
Also known as the “Wobblies”
International, radical and
wanted to end capitalism
Formed in 1905 but faded in the 1920s because of
conflicts with the AFL
Wanted all workers to unite
Base was unskilled workers BUT anyone could join!
Organized Labor




NLU, 1866, William Sylus, no women or African
Americans, working conditions & politics
Knights of Labor, 1869, Uriah Stephens, everyone,
working conditions & politics
AFL, 1886, Samuel Gompers, skilled only, working
conditions
IWW, 1905, Bob Haywood, unskilled base, anyone
could be part, get rid of capitalism
NOT A UNION – Socialist Party of America, 1895,
Eugene Debs, anyone
IWW
Socialism
KNIGHTS
NLU
AFL-CIO
Most Conservative

American Federation of Labor
 Craftsmen
only (skilled)
 Work conditions and rates of pay ONLY
Middle of the Road

NLU
 Incorporated
more people
 Political agenda (prison labor, land reform,
currency reform)

Knights of Labor
 All
8
hour day - Political agenda (government
ownership railroads, telegraphs, telephones)
Most Radical

IWW
 workers unite to do away with capitalism
 SPLIT – stay with Socialists?
 "Capitalists of America, we will fight against
you, not for you! There is not a power in the
world that can make the working class fight
if they refuse."

The few own the many because they possess the means of
livelihood of all ... The country is governed for the richest, for
the corporations, the bankers, the land speculators, and for the
exploiters of labor. The majority of mankind are working
people. So long as their fair demands - the ownership and
control of their livelihoods - are set at naught, we can have
neither men's rights nor women's rights. The majority of
mankind is ground down by industrial oppression in order that
the small remnant may live in ease."
— Helen Keller, IWW member, 1911
What happened to the unions of the progressive era?
What happens to them?

NLU – divided & dissolved
Knights – Haymarket
AFL – Survived
IWW – Pretty dead after WWI

What determined which were successful?



What happened to the AFL?


In 1955  AFL merges with their biggest rival, the
Congress of Industrial Organizations
Becomes the AFL-CIO
 Still

exists!
AFL has created the longest lasting and most
influential labor federation in the United States
Major Strikes & Their Impacts on
Unions
Haymarket Riot 1886
-May 3 - 2 workers killed & others wounded by police - McCormick
Reaper Works workers rally for an 8 hour day
-May 4, 1886 rally organized by radicals – bomb thrown & police fire
-8 charged & convicted, 7 sentenced to death
Pullman Strike 1894

http://video.ezinemark.com/impact-of-the-pullman-strike-430e4f3d150.html

http://www.democracynow.org/2005/12/21/mayor_bloomberg_condemns_new_york_city\

Transit strike
Unions Victories

½ strikes lead to demands being met
 Victorious:


Anthracite Coal Strike 1902
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxO24cTGCeI
Politically fight for:
 Child
labor legislation
 Work days/hours
 Muller
v. Oregon (1908) – women only – 10 hour
 Bunting v. Oregon (1917) – men too – 10 hour


Workmen’s compensation
What is missing?
Weekly Wages and Hours in Manufacturing
Average Work Week in
Hours
Hourly Wage
Average Annual
Wage
1890
60
20 cents
1900
59
22 cents
1910
56.6
26 cents
1920
51
66 cents
$1,424
1930
42
55 cents
$1,368
1940
38
66 cents
$1,300
1950
40.5
$1.46
$3,008
$400-500
What hindered unions the most?
Labor Unions in Action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5arsHVN5CTo&
feature=related
Mary Harris Jones



“Mother Jones”
Endured death
threats and jail
because she was the
most prominent
organizer in the
labor movement
Organized the Child
Labor march on
Washington DC