16. 2 Labor Strives to Organize
A. The New Working Class- late 19th century
-Demand= labor soars (factories, laborers, transport, sellers,
plantations, etc)
-Who?
1. 1/3- foreign born immigrants
2. African American men- South- no opportunity
North- more opportunity
All over- service, dirty, dangerous jobs, low paying,
gardener, cook, driver, textile factory, lumber, coal, iron,
tobacco, etc.
3. Woman- immigrant and native born
- By 1900- 15% of work force are women
4. Children- 1800’s- child labor doubles, 20% of American
Children 10-15 worked
- South- ¼ textile mill workers was a child
- North- 1/20 textile mill workers was a child, the north was
wealthier and could pay more
B. Working Conditions
1. Long hours- average 12 hour day-up to 16, sunup to
sun down, no exceptions, meals eaten at work
2. Low wages- esp. unskilled workers
- African Am’s, Asian Am’s, Mexican Am’s- lowest
3. 6 days a week
4. Dangerous- no safety check, became worse with
fatigue/exhaustion
5. Company town- all owned by business
Scrip- workers were paid in company paper $=
used to buy goods at company store.
Company has a monopoly= high prices for all
C. The Knights of Labor- Union
-Organized to fight against bad working conditions
1. Represent ALL- strikes demonstrations, marches,
protests, power in numbers
2. Strikes- not new but workers unions were
expanding
1.Unskilled and skilled
2.African Americans (60,000)
3.Women
4.European immigrants
3. Drawbacks
A.Chinese still excluded
B.Many were not hired in fear that the large #’s
would strike
C.No end to child labor
D.The Great Upheaval- 1886- the year of
intense confrontation between unions and companies
which led to violence
A. Workers ready themselves for “battle”, coming out of Economic
Depression which led to massive wage cuts
B. 1500 strikes; 400,000 workers
C. Violence occurs while negotiating (employers, employees, police)
Ex) Haymarket Riot- police and strikers fight
70 wounded and 7 police dead, 1 civilian dead
D. Employers decrease strikes: SHARING
-Black lists- list the main supporters/strikers= hard for them to get
a job
-Lockouts- bar workers from the plant
-Yellow dog contracts- promise not to join the union
-Strike breakers- those who were not accepted in the unions
***violence slowed the unions cause—unskilled workers
-Skilled workers formed their own union
American Federation of Labor (AFL)- committed to a non-violent
advancement for their cause
E. The Holmstead and Pullman
Strikes
1. Homestead in Pittsburgh, PA- strikers killed by the
state militia who then said “now order is restored”
2. Pullman strike- Chicago- company town
- Government uses force on the strikers and
sides with the business not the workers.
- The railroad sides with the workers- American
Railway Union