Labor Organizes (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

As the rich got richer, working men were left behind financially. As businesses expanded, factory owners grew wealthier while workers—many of whom were immigrants—faced poor working conditions and low wages. In response, labor unions were formed to create a united force against business leaders and factory owners and demand better wages, working conditions, and fair treatment. Unions used strikes, protests, and government intervention to push for reforms. These movements faced strong resistance from employers and the government.

Labor Unions & Strikes

Labor Unions

• Labor unions used a variety of means to challenge business owners to improve conditions, such as:

  • strikes where workers would stop working to demand better conditions

  • slowdowns were workers deliberately worked slowly to disrupt production

  • the unions advocated for government regulation to protect workers

• The goals of labor unions were to:

  • achieve better pay

  • improve working conditions

  • reduce the length of working days to eight hours

  • limit child labor

    • Over time, unions pushed to restrict the hours children could work and improve their conditions

    • These efforts contributed to landmark reforms, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) which effectively ended child labor in most industries

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

• The first major railroad strike in the United States was sparked when railroad companies cut workers’ wages by 10% to increase profits during a time of recession

• The strike spread across multiple states, with workers protesting against wage cuts and poor working conditions

• Tensions increased as the strike grew and gained public attention

  • This highlighted the plight of workers to a broader audience

• President Rutherford B. Hayes sent federal troops to Baltimore to end the strike and restore peace

  • This led to violence and the deaths of hundreds of workers

  • The federal troops ended the strike-through violent suppression of protests

• While the strike drew national attention to the abuse and challenges the workers faced, they did not immediately gain their demand for wage increases or better working conditions

• The strike highlighted the importance of unions, it:

  • showed that workers could organize and disrupt the economy

  • set the stage for future labor movements and strikes that would eventually lead to reforms in labor laws

Pullman Strike of 1894

• George Pullman was a wealthy railroad businessman in Chicago, who worked closely with railroad companies building sleeper cars

  • He cut worker wages by 25-40% to steady profits during a time of downward economic movement

  • He did not reduce rents and other worker expenses in the railroad town where workers lived

• Workers faced extreme financial hardship and tried to strike

• Workers who attempted to strike were fired, which led to further unrest

The union’s response to the Pullman Strike

• Eugene V. Debs organized railroad workers across the country through the American Railway Union to support Pullman’s workers

  • Railroad companies fought back by attaching mail cars to trains

    • This made it a federal offense for workers to disrupt their delivery

• The strike was forcibly ended when workers were required to take an oath not to join a union to regain their jobs

Rise of the Bourgeoisie

• Bourgeoisie is the term for the growing middle class that emerged during the industrialization of the Gilded Age

  • It was made up of factory managers, professionals, and clerks who all benefited from industrial growth

Characteristics of the bourgeoise:

• This group made higher wages than workers in factories

  •  They could afford goods made by mass production, such as clothing and household items

• The middle class could enjoy opportunities for entertainment such as amusement parks

• This rise in prosperity in the middle classes contributed to the growing division between the rich and the poor

Knights of Labor

• The Knights of Labor was one of the first major national labor organizations

• It was founded in 1881 

• Membership was inclusive and open to all workers at any skill level

  • This included women and African Americans

• The union’s goals included:

  • ending child labor 

  • improving working conditions

  • advocating for an eight-hour workday

  • pushing for equal pay for equal work

• Child labor

  • Child labor was widespread during the Gilded Age, with children as young as ten years old working in factories

  • Children worked in dangerous conditions for long hours, working more than ten hours a day

  • They worked for cheaper wages doing mundane, repetitive jobs

  • Many children did not attend school

Haymarket Square Riot of 1886

• The Haymarket Square Riot began as a peaceful rally in Chicago advocating for workers’ rights, specifically the eight-hour working day

• The rally turned violent when a bomb aimed at the police went off

  • Several people were killed, including both police officers and civilians

• The bombing led to public fear and a decline in support for labor unions

  • Many people viewed the unions as dangerous and radical

  • There was a decrease in membership in unions

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

• The American Federation of Labor was established in 1886 by Samuel Gompers

• It represented only skilled workers, in contrast to the broader approach of the Knights of Labor

• The AFL focused on achieving:

  • higher wages

  • safer working conditions

  • shorter workdays (eight hours)

  • greater recognition and support of unions

• The AFL aimed to achieve its goals through collective bargaining rather than strikes