Rise of Labor Unions

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Rise of Labor Unions
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Conditions of the Worker

• Workers faced low wages and long hours
• Families often sent children to work, rather than
  school, in order to survive
• Unions formed to help workers

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Knights of Labor

• Sought to organize all workers under one banner

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Haymarket Riot

• Workers protest in favor of an 8 hour workday
• Radicals set off bomb
• Rioting kills police and protestors
• Caused Knights of Labor to lose support

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Samuel Gompers

• Became the first leader of the American
  Federation of Labor (AFL)

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American Federation of Labor (AFL)

• Focused on collective bargaining to reach
  agreements on wages, hours, and working
  conditions
• Used strikes to win higher wages and shorter work
  weeks

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Eugene Debs

• Led the American Railway Union
• One of the most influential union leaders
• Led the Pullman Strike

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Employers Fight the Unions

• Forbade union meetings
• Fired union members
• Forced new employees to sign yellow-dog
  contracts, swearing they will not join a union

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Employers Fight the Unions

• Lockouts When business owners prevent employees
  from working
• Scabs Replacement workers
• Blacklists lists of workers employers would not
  hire

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Great Strike of 1877

• Workers at B O Railroad struck because of
  second wage cut in two months
• Strike shut down railroad lines
• President Hayes sent troops to end strike because
  it disrupted interstate commerce

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