Coxey’s Army
Discussion
• Why do you think that the marchers have
a band and are carrying an American flag?
• To show that they are patriotic Americans
• Why would workers, or in this case,
unemployed workers, want to demonstrate
their patriotism?
• Many Americans feared and disliked unions
and considered them un-American.
Social Opposition
• Marxism Unions were seen as un-American. Some
union organizers cited the ideas of Karl Marx, who
predicted that workers would someday explode in
revolt and take over not only the factories but also the
government. Marxism appealed to many workers.
• Anarchism A few labor leaders supported
anarchism. Anarchists want to completely eliminate
government. In the late 1800s, some of them
believed that with only a few acts of violence they
could ignite a revolution that would topple the
government.
Union Discussion
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•
•
•
What does the political cartoon imply about unions?
That they are unamerican
Why were some Americans suspicious of unions?
Fear of Marxist labor leaders and immigrants with radical ideas;
concerns for law and order
• How are labor-management issues typically resolved
today?
• Through collective bargaining, in which representatives from
both sides work to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement—a
contract. Failure might lead to arbitration, or settlement by a
neutral third party.
The Great Railroad Strike
• Wage Cuts In July 1877, a third wage cut by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad led workers
in West Virginia to walk off the job. The strike
spread across the country.
• Gun Battles State militias fought gun battles
with strikers. Federal troops finally restored
order after more than 100 people were killed.
Damage exceeded $10 million.
The Haymarket Riot
• Police Kill Four Strikers In May 1886,
during a nationwide strike in support of an
eight-hour workday, police killed four Chicago
strikers on a picket line.
• A Bomb Thrown In Haymarket Square, at an
anarchist-led protest against the killings,
someone threw a bomb that killed one officer
and wounded six others. Police and workers
fired shots at each other, injuring about 100
people. Four anarchists were executed for
their roles in the Haymarket riot.
The Homestead Steel
Strike
• Wage Cut In Homestead, Pennsylvania, in
1892, workers at a steel mill striked when
faced with a 20 percent wage cut. The mill’s
manager locked out employees and tried to
bring in replacement workers under the
protection of Pinkerton detectives.
• Strikers Block Strikebreakers The strikers
kept the strikebreakers from entering the mill.
A gun battle ensued, in which several men on
both sides were killed and many were injured.
The strike collapsed four months later.
The Pullman Railroad
Strike
• Layoffs and Wage Cuts In 1893 the Pullman
Company, which built passenger railway cars, laid off
workers and slashed wages. As a result, workers
were unable to pay their rent for company housing
and the high prices charged at company stores.
• Boycott of Pullman Cars After the company refused
to discuss workers’ grievances, a strike began on
May 11, 1894. To show support for the Pullman
strikers, other member of the American Railway
Union across the United States refused to handle
Pullman cars.
Discussion
• Why was it difficult for unions to
achieve their goals in the 1800s?
• Companies refused to negotiate and
employed successful strategies against
union action; the government backed
industry; both sides were quick to use
violence.
Discussion
• What are some positive aspects of a
strike?
• They show employers that worker
grievances are serious; create a better
chance of a problem being remedied;
and could help improve wages and
working conditions.
Unions
• Under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs,
railroad employees organized the American
Railway Union (ARU) in 1893.
• The union organized, among others, the
employees of the Pullman Palace Car
Company. The owner, George Pullman, had
built a company town, Pullman, just outside of
Chicago, and he required his workers to live
there and to buy goods from company stores.
The American Federation
of Labor (AFL)
• Skilled Workers The most powerful union of
the late 1800s, the AFL, fought for skilled
workers, mainly white males.
• Goals The AFL had three main goals: (1) to
get companies to engage in collective
bargaining; (2) to push companies to hire only
union members; (3) to achieve an eight-hour
workday.
• Samuel Gompers As first president of the
AFL, Gompers preferred negotiation to
strikes.
The Industrial Workers of
the World (IWW)
• Skilled and Unskilled Workers: Formed in
1905 by a group of labor radicals, the IWW
aimed to organize all workers, skilled and
unskilled alike, according to industry.
• Controversial Strikes: The IWW never
gained a large membership, but its radical
philosophy and controversial strikes led many
to condemn the organization as subversive.
Women and Organized
Labor
Women and Organized
Labor
• Limited Opportunity By 1900 women made up more
than 18 percent of the labor force, but their jobs were
limited mainly to domestic service, teaching, nursing,
retail sales, industrial sewing, and food processing.
• Organizing Women In 1900 immigrant workers in
New York City founded the International Ladies’
Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). In 1903 the
Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) became the
first national association dedicated to women’s labor
issues. Its goals included an eight-hour workday, a
minimum wage, and an end to child labor.
Discussion
• What set the IWW apart from the AFL?
• The AFL organized only skilled workers; the
IWW organized both skilled and unskilled
workers. The IWW was more radical.
• Why do you think establishing a union
specifically for women was important?
• Most established unions excluded women;
women were paid far less than men; like
men, they needed better wages and working
conditions.