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Workers Organize

Workers Organize. Chapter: 20 Section: 4. Workers Face Hardships. Business owners in the late 1800’s paid low wages in order to increase profits. Factories were ran as cheaply as possible, with workers bringing their own tools and equipment.

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Workers Organize

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  1. Workers Organize Chapter: 20 Section: 4
  2. Workers Face Hardships Business owners in the late 1800’s paid low wages in order to increase profits. Factories were ran as cheaply as possible, with workers bringing their own tools and equipment. Owners often refused to purchase safety equipment as well, leading to injuries and sometimes death.
  3. Sweatshops Factories would often times become overcrowded. Owners refused to build new ones. Work was often outsourced to smaller shops (sweatshops) where workers were paid little and worked long hours. Children often worked alongside adults.
  4. Child Labor Does child labor still exist today?
  5. Child Labor Today 215 million 115 million involved in hazardous work Out of 197 nations studied, 76 still include child labor (2012). The US was ranked a “Medium Risk” country, alongside Cuba, Georgia (country), Kuwait. The worst offenders include the Philippines, China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Brazil, & Ethiopia.
  6. Ethiopia Nearly 60% of children are put to work to supplement family income, earning about a $1 a month!
  7. At-Risk Countries
  8. Type of Work Sewing collars and making buttonholes were common jobs in sweatshops and factories. Wages were kept low: weekly wages totaled less than $10. If a worker missed work, it could potentially put the family in debt to pay expenses.
  9. Early Unions Began in mid-1800’s, but had little effect on policy. Knights of Labor: loose national organization involving workers from different trades. Differed from other unions by allowing women and African Americans to join (1878).
  10. Unionization Till Today
  11. Panic of 1873 Over four year period, millions of workers took pay cuts, with one-fifth losing their jobs. In July 1877, Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) cut wages by 10%. Workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia refused to work.
  12. Panic of 1873 Political Cartoon
  13. Railroad Strike of 1877 Workers in other cities soon joined in. In many states, protesters battled with troops (resulting in dozens of deaths). Protesters were not successful as pay cuts were still implemented.
  14. Socialism and Anarchism Growth of labor unions scared business leaders. Many blamed socialism and anarchism. Socialism: economic system in which all members of society are equal owners of business, labor, and profits. Anarchism: more extreme version, promoting abolishment of government and hierarchies.
  15. Haymarket Affair (Cause) Businesses fear socialism and anarchism will spread. Leads to McCormick Harvester Company locking out workers in Chicago (1886). Hired strikebreakers: people brought in to replace union members. Strikers, union members, and police clash resulting in the death of a union member.
  16. Haymarket Affair Union members met the following day. Police were called in to end the meeting. An unknown person threw a bomb, killing 7 police officers and wounding 60. Police returned fire, killing several people and wounding about 100.
  17. Haymarket Flyer
  18. Haymarket Affair (Effect) Police arrested hundreds of union leaders, with opposition to unions increasing as a result. Membership in the Knights of Labor fell, even though they were not involved.
  19. Homestead Strike (Cause) Andrew Carnegie reduces wages at his Homestead, PA mills; however, the union refuses the pay cut. Carnegie responds by locking out union members and hiring nonunion labor. Also, company hires 300 armed guards.
  20. The Workers Respond (Effect) Locked-out workers gather weapons in response. Guards and workers clash, resulting in 10 people dead. Nonunion workers received state militia escorts to work. The strike finally collapsed after 4 months, splitting the union up.
  21. Pullman Strike (Cause) Following Panic of 1893, many railroad companies go bankrupt. Pullman Palace Car Company cuts wages by 25% to stay in business. However, Pullman did not cut lower the rent it charged workers to live in company housing. After rent is deducted, many workers took home little pay.
  22. Pullman Strike (Effect) Workers organize a strike, spreading throughout the industry. Eugene V. Debs: American Railway Union president. Calls on US railroad workers to refuse Pullman cars. Results in rail traffic coming to a halt in much of country.
  23. End of the Pullman Strike President Grover Cleveland calls out federal troops to end strike. Eugene Debs is jailed as a result.
  24. Fair Treatment Companies such as Procter & Gamble (soap company) began giving workers an extra half day off a week. Also began profit-sharing, allowing workers to benefit from the profits the company took in.
  25. American Federation of Labor Samuel Gompers: Helped found a new national organization of unions called the AFL. Serves as president for 37 years. By 1904, AFL has 1.7 million members.
  26. American Federation of Labor Reforms Focused on improving work conditions. Won shorter working hours Better pay for workers
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