“Labor union: an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing in members’
interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions,”Webster’s dictionary. One of the first
appearances of the phrase “workers’ organization” was in the 1930s when the United States began to
spiral into, what is now known as the Great Depression. This spiral took the biggest turn when the
stock market crashed in 1929. In 1930, the US formed the National Unemployed Council to try to find
relief for families who were struggling for work and food. Just after the National Unemployment
Council was established, Congress passed the Davis-Beacon Act which provided payment of prevailing
wages to workers employed on public works projects. In the same year, the formations of labor unions
began to develop all across the nation, and in turn, the strikes of millions began to spread.(Labor1)
As the economy began to decline, factory owners were determined to get more work out of their
workers, and for less wages. Factory production began to increase, but the amount of happy and
satisfied workers was slowly diminishing. The more unhappy people became with the conditions that
they were working in, the more labor unions were formed, and in return, people became imprisoned
and unemployed as a result of striking and rebelling.(Labor1)
The first national labor union ever formed was the National Labor Union, and it was established
in 1866. This labor union was short-lived, dissolving in 1872, giving way to the next largest union, the
Knights of Labor and the AF of L (American Federation of Labor).The Knights of Labor Union was a
little longer lived than the others, but still crashed due to the Haymarket Riot.(Labor2)
We all know about the national labor unions, but there was also a world wide union that was
formed. This Union was known as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The people of this
group, over time, became known as the “Wobblies.” The wobblies were formed in 1905, by man named
William “Big Bill” Haywood. The goal of this group was to bring all unions together into “One Big
Union.” At its peak, the IWW had around 150,000 members, but after being repressed, the group lost
many of its members to death, imprisonment, and deportation.(History)
One of the major strikes of the 1800s came in 1877 and was called the Great Railroad Strike.
This strike broke out because of the cut in pay that railroad workers had received not once, but twice in
the course of one year. The strike began in July of 1877, with the workers of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. The railroad workers refused to let the trains run until their wages were returned to the
original amount. After word spread from the strike that began in West Virginia, violent strikes broke out
in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. In Chicago, Illinois, over twenty-thousand people
flooded the city in support of the labor unions efforts to regain the wages that were due to
them.(Railroad)
As a result of the mass outbreak of violence, West Virginia’s governor took action to stop the
strike, and called in the forces of the state’s militia. The militia held down violence until federal
soldiers regained order. The strike was short-lived, coming to an end in August of 1877, due to
government intervention.(Railroad)
The Railroad Strike of 1877 wasn’t the only strike brought about by public transportation. One
of the earliest railroad strikes was the Great Railroad Strike of 1922. This strike was also one of the
most successful strikes recorded in history. This strike was a rise against Jay Gould’s Southwestern
Railway system. This strike began o July 1 because of a seven cent pay cut which prompted the
workers to vote whether to let the administration get away with cutting their pay, or to fight for what
they deserved. The decision of the workers was clear, they were going to fight for everything they
deserved and more. (History)
Another strike that occurred about sixteen years afterwards was the Homestead Strike of 1892.
The Homestead Strike occurred in Homestead, along the Monongahela River, just outside Pittsburgh.
This strike, just as all the others, was based on the diminishing wages of the working class. In this case,
the laborers were steel workers. In the 1800s, mobility was very slim and highly limited, and jobs
didn’t allow much growing room, so in turn, if you had a job, you fought to make it work, and you
fought to maintain the status of your family. The steel workers took pride in their work, and ended up
fighting to uphold their status, as well as what they had worked so hard to have.(Homestead)
We saw the great effects of labor unions not long ago, in the 2008 elections. Candidate John
Edwards gained the backing of many associations of the AFL-CIO in his presidential race. Some of
these unions included the carpenters’ union, the United Steelworkers, and United Mine Workers of
America. John Edwards began to target these groups, and tell them about the benefits they could
receive with him as president. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton won over the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, as well as the Transportation Union. But just behind
Clinton was another candidate, Senator Chris Dodd who won the endorsements of the International
Association of Fire Fighters, but later dropped out of the race. So as you see, labor unions didn’t just
appear over night and stay for a short time, they developed a pattern, and built over years with
leadership and hard work.(History)