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Chapter 20

Section 4

Workers in the Industrial Age

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The Industrial Workforce

  • Industrial growth created jobs
  • Workers - 10-12 hours, six days
  • Fired at any time, any reason
  • Immigrants worked for less
  • Unsafe, unhealthy conditions
    • Sweatshops
  • 1900 - 1 million women in workforce
  • 100s of Thousands of children
    • Child labor laws ignored

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The Growth of Labor Unions

  • Dissatisfied groups formed labor unions
    • Better pay and conditions
  • Employers would fire those who joined unions
  • Knights of Labor
    • Women, blacks, immigrants, unskilled labor
  • More than 700,000 members
  • Violent acts led to demise in 1890s

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The American Federation of Labor

  • 1886 - trade union joined to form American Federation of Labor (AFL)
    • Skilled labor, various crafts
  • Samuel Gompers - Leader
    • Higher wages, shorter hours
  • Collective bargaining - Union represents a group of workers
  • Union involvement in violence turned public feeling against

workers and unions

Samuel Gompers

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The Rights of Working Women

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  • Many unions would not admit women
  • Mary Harris “Mother” Jones
    • 50 years fighting for workers’ rights
  • Women formed own unions
  • Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
    • 150 immigrant women died
    • Led to International Ladies Garment Workers Union
    • Safer working environment

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“Mother” Jones

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The Unions Take Action

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  • Economic depressions in 1870s and 1890s difficult on workers
  • Companies cut costs, salaries, laid off workers
  • Unions responded with strikes
    • Sometimes sparked violence
  • 1877 Railroad strikers burned railyards, ripped track
  • Strikebreakers hired by companies

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The Unions Take Action (Cont.)

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  • Haymarket Square - 1886
    • McCormick Harvester Co.
    • Striking for 8-hour work day
  • Clash between police at rally
  • Someone threw a bomb,

started a riot

  • Seven police officers, several others dead
  • Americans linked labor movement with violence

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The Unions Take Action (Cont.)

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  • 1892-Homestead Steel plant
    • Hired non-union workers
    • Violence killed 10 people
    • Governor sent militia
    • Steelworkers’ union dwindled
  • Pullman Railway Car plant
    • Company cut wages-strike
    • ARU paralyzed rail traffic
    • Injunction issued
    • Debs refused to end strike
    • President Cleveland interceded-strike ended

Eugene V. Debs