This document provides an overview of the history of labor unions in the United States from the early 19th century through the mid-20th century. It discusses early union development being stunted until the 1930s due to widespread anti-union sentiment among Americans and employers. The document then covers key events that shaped the labor movement such as violent strikes in the 1870s-1890s, the rise of national unions in the late 19th century, and pro-union legislation passed during the Great Depression in response to widespread economic hardship.

1. The Rise and Fall of
Labor Unions

2. Chapter Eight
Macro -
Economics
 This is the study of
the whole economy
– The big picture.
 Macroeconomic
includes:
G.D.P., total money
supply, inflation/def
lation, taxes, import
s/exports, etc.
How many workers
in the U.S?
 There are about 150
million Americans in
the workforce.
 This does not include
members of the
military, prisoners, an
d people who have
quit looking for a job.

4. Early Union Development
 1. Unions were stunted
in their growth until the
1930’s.
 2. Most Americans were
anti - union.
 Why was this so?
 3. Americans were of
the “Pull yourself up by
your own boot straps”
attitude.
 There was HEAVY employer
resistance. Tactics included:
 1. Yellow Dog Contracts, Black
Lists, Union Busters, Lock Outs.
 2. Government leaders were
anti union.
 3. The Court system were anti
union also.
 4. American felt that unions
were of a “Foreign” influence.

5. The
“Formula”
Unions + Violence + Strikes + Socialists +
Immigrants =
Anarchists

7. Roots of the American Labor
Movement
 Pre-Revolutionary America. NO NOTES.
 Agricultural economy.
 Indentured Servants.
 Slaves.
 Post-Revolutionary America
 First labor unions of craftspeople in 1790s.
 Trade societies.
 Growth of American factory system in 1830s
 Did complete task to finish whole product-worked in one building.
 Mass influx of immigrants kept waged rock bottom.
 Growth of large, impersonal, national corporations provided the impetus to
unionize.
 Industrialization.
 History of Indurtial Revolution

8. What Did Early Unions Want?
 1. Collective Bargaining.
 2. Eight hour work day/Forty hour work week.
 3. No child labor.
 4. Worker’s Comp.
 5. Safe work place.

9. Growth of National
Unions-No Notes.
 1. National Labor Union (NLU) - 1866
 Membership for skilled and unskilled workers.
 2. National Colored Labor Union (NCLU)
 Refused membership by the NLU.
 3. Knights of Labor.
 4. American Federation of Labor (AFL) - created in 1888.
Still exists today.

10. Growth of National
Unions
 National Labor Union (NLU) - 1866
 Membership for skilled and unskilled workers.
 National Colored Labor Union (NCLU)
 Refused membership by the NLU.
 Knights of Labor.
 American Federation of Labor (AFL) - created in 188

11. The American Federation
of Labor: 1886
Samuel Gompers:
“MORE!”

12. Child Labor

13. A candle
would be
placed into
his hat to
provide light
while
working in
the mines!
Why is this
dangerous?

14. Coal Miners

15. Here is a SIX year old girl working in a cotton mill

16. “Galley Labor”

17. How is Big Business treating children according to the picture?

18. Daydreaming……. What is she thinking about?

19. Look carefully, what is missing?

20. The taller boy standing to the right oversees the breaker boys who
separate the coal from the stones during mining. The machine used is
moving quickly and they are not allowed to wear gloves! Why might this
be dangerous?

21. Why are the children STANDING on the machine?

23. Piece Work

26. T.W.S.F. 1

27.  Molly Maguires.
 Labor movement portrayed as violent and criminal.
 Railway Strike - 1877
 First general strike to sweep the U.S.
 First use of federal troops to suppress labor action.
 Haymarket Square Riot - 1886
 Demonstration in support of 8-hour day led to a series of
confrontations with Chicago police.
 Public became fearful of labor organizations.
Labor Strife-No Notes

28. Great Rail Road Strike-First
National Strike

29.  Homestead Strike - 1892
 Involved the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel
Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company
 Armed confrontation between strikers and armed
Pinkerton guards
 Pullman Strike - 1894
 Involved the Pullman Palace Car Company and the
American Railway Union
 Injunction issued using the Sherman Antitrust Act
Growth of National Unions
More Violence.

30. Unions - Periods of
Violence
Molly
Maguires
Railway
Labor
Strike
Haymarket
Square
Homestead
Strike
Pullman
Strike
1870 1875 1880 1885 1890 1895 1915
Year
1900
Growth of Unions

31. Haymarket Riot (1886)
Major Setback for Labor
McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

32. Haymarket Riot HM1.
…

33. The Corporate
“Bully-Boys”: Pinkerton
Agents

34. The Pullman Strike of 1894

35. THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE OF 1877

36. The Pullman Strike of 1894

37. President Grover Cleveland
If it takes the entire army and navy to
deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card
will be delivered!

38. The Socialists
Eugene V. Debs

39. International Workers of the
World (“Wobblies”)

40. “Big Bill” Haywood of the
I.W.W.
 Violence was justified to
overthrow capitalism.

41. I W W & the Internationale

42. The Hand That Will Rule the
World – Workers own the
means of production!

43. Great Depression and
Unions.
 1. GDP falls by fifty percent.
 2. Twenty-five percent unemployment.
 3. Serious DEFLATION. Wage-Price
spiral Downward.
 4. Wage-Rate Theory destroyed.

44. Pro Union Legislation
 1. LaGuardia Act
1932. Prevented
courts from rulings
against peaceful
strikes, picketing, or
boycotts.
 2 Nat’s Labor
Relations Act 1935 or
Wagner Act:
 3. Right of unions to
collective bargaining.
 4. Gov’t oversite of
union elections.
 5. Gov’t world police
unfair labor
practices.
 6. Magna Carta of
Labor.

45. Fair Labor Act 1938
 1. Federal
Minimum wage.
Wage-Rate Theory.
 2. Time and a half
for overtime.
 3. 40 hour work
week.
 4. 8 hour work day.
 5. Eliminates child
labor.
 Wagner Act
 W.A.S.C

46. Creation of National Labor
Policy (cont.)
Labor
Management
Relations Act
(Taft-Hartley
Amendments,
1947)
Recognized workers right not to
organize
• Closed shop made unlawful
Defined union unfair labor practices
•unions required to bargain in good faith
•unions can be sued for breach of
contract
•restraint or coercion of employees in
exercise of their rights
•discrimination against employee for not
engaging in union activities
Restrictions on strike activities
Right-to-work laws

49. Anti-Union Legislation 1947

50. Anti-Union Legislation
Reagan the Democrat.
Reagan the Republican PATCO.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

51. Kinds of Union Shops.
 Closed shops.(Taft-Hartly Outlawed)
 Union shops. Raley’s.
 Modified shops.
 Agency shops. O.U.H.S.D.

52. Kinds of Union Shops.
 1. Closed
shops.(Taft-Hartly
Outlawed)
 2. Union shops.
Raley’s.
 3. Modified shops.
 4. Agency shops.
O.U.H.S.D.

53. Collective Bargaining.
 1. A group represents the union to
management.
 2. A contract is created that both parties
agree and sign.

54. What if the Contract is
Broken?
 1. Grievance. Informal/Formal.
 2. Mediation.
 3. Arbitration. Binding and non binding.
 4. Fact-Finding.
 5. Injunction and seizure.
 6. Presidential intervention. (PATCO.)

55. Categories of Labor.
 1. Unskilled.
 2. Semi skilled
 3. Skilled
 4. Professional Labor.

57. Wage Determination
 Traditional Theory-Supply
and demand.
 Negotiated wage theory-
unions.
 Signaling theory- Higher
education.
 Regional wage differences.
 Ethnic or gender(Glass
Ceiling).

58. Wage Determination
 1. Traditional
Theory-Supply and
demand.
 2. Negotiated wage
theory-unions.
 3. Signaling theory-
Higher education.
 4. Regional wage
differences.
 5. Ethnic or
gender(Glass
Ceiling.)

59. Earnings Gap
(What women of various races earn, compared
with a dollar earned by a white male)
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80
Asian-American
White
African-American
Native-American
Hispanic
Source: Business Week, June 7, 2004

61. Decline of Unions.
 1. Reasons:
 2. Employers like Wal-Mart have fought unions
vigorously.
 3. More women and teenagers in work force and are
not as interested in unions.
 4. Globalization/Outsourcing of labor.
 5. Poor countries have few environmental laws, no
workers comp., Social Security , or Medicare taxes….

62. Pro and Anti Union
Arguments.
Target
Starbucks.
Wal-Mart Hit Man
Wal-Mart. High Cost of Low Wages.
Nike
Wal-Mart-=Sweat Shops.

69. Minimum Wage.
 1. Why does the U.S. have a minimum
wage? Wage-Rate Theory discredited
during the Great Depression.
 2. Does the minimum wage keep up with
inflation? No.
 3. Does raising the minimum wage hurt
business? No. IMO!

70. Minimum Wage Stats.
 1. 2.2% of total W.F. earn M.W.
 2. Only 1.4% over 25.
 3. 51% are between 16-24. Reagan “Training
Wage.”
 4. 21% between 25-34.
 5. Only 1.2% college education.
 6. 59% no college.
 Anti Minimum Argument.
 Cut Min. Wage.

71. Pro min. Wage

78. Constant Dollars Verses
Current Dollars.
 Inflation, every year, decreases the
buying power of the dollar. 1-3 percent
inflation is normal.