THE LABOR MOVEMENT

What changes do you think American workers wanted to see by 1900? With your partner:

Goals of the Labor Movement  Better wages  Shorter hours  Better working conditions  More power

The Pullman Town – an example  Created 1882 in Chicago to house workers in railroad car factories  “We are born in a Pullman house, fed from the Pullman shops, taught in the Pullman school, catechized in the Pullman Church, and when we die we shall go to the Pullman Hell.”  1894: wages cut; rents and prices stay the same  Why is this a problem for workers?

Lochner v. New York (1905)  New York law restricted working hours for bakers  Lochner argued that the law took away liberty of contract under 14 th Amendment  Held: “The general right to make a contract in relation to his business is part of the liberty of the individual protected by the Fourteenth Amendment”  Restricted state labor laws until 1937

Tactics of the Labor Movement  Collective bargaining – negotiating a contract for all workers represented by the union  Strike – refusing to work until demands are met  Other tactics: sit-down strike, slowdown/work-to-rule, picket, sabotage

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877  July 1877: pay cuts lead to railroad strike in WV  Spreads across states and industries  Why did it fail?  Lack of unity among workers  Weak economy  State and federal troops  What should labor do next?

The Knights of Labor  Founded 1869  Broadly inclusive – African Americans, women, unskilled workers  Aimed for social reform – eight-hour work day, banning child labor, equal pay

The American Federation of Labor  Founded 1886  Most important leader: Samuel Gompers  Concrete goals: wages, hours, collective bargaining  Primarily white, American-born, male skilled workers

The Industrial Workers of the World  Founded 1905  “The Wobblies”  “One big union”  Often supported violence and sabotage  Ultimate goal: socialism

The Specter of Socialism  Socialism (also Communism… it’s complicated): belief that government, not private individuals, should own means of production  Who might think this is a good idea?  Reformers; labor unions; workers  Immigrants  Who might think this is a bad idea?  Employers  Nativists – people opposed to immigration

 PPIH  What’s the message here?

Fear of Socialism  Many labor unions (especially the IWW) accused of supporting socialism  Arguments against socialism:  It takes away liberty (think about Lochner)  It’s un-American  Strong association between nativism and socialism

Breaking Strikes  Intimidation, firing, threats  Sabotage and infiltration  Strikebreakers – aka “scabs”  Hired to replace striking workers  Often immigrants or African Americans  Pinkerton guards

The Haymarket Affair  May 1, 1886: general strike in Chicago  May 3: police kill two union members while breaking up a fight  May 4: bomb thrown at rally to protest police violence in Haymarket Square  Mass arrests of anarchists and labor activists, including many immigrants  Rising anti-labor sentiment; destroyed the Knights of Labor

What does this show us about the effects of rapid industrialization? Recap: