The Plight of the Worker in

the late 19th and early 20th

Centuries

The Immigrant Work Force

Old vs. New Immigration

Push vs. Pull Factors

Recruitment & Advertisement

-Railroads

-Labor Contract Laws

-Brokers

-Homestead Act

The Immigrant Work Force Poor Wages & Conditions -Real Wages -Triangle Shirtwaist Fire -12 hours days/laws ignored by both

sides/maiming/disease/poison Social & Racial Issues -diverse ethnicities in diverse occupations (Brinkley pg 491) Italians – garments Greeks – tenant farming, mines, self business Poles – meat packing, mines, textiles Jews – restricted, textiles, radio, movies Japanese – fishing, canning, agriculture -creation of ghettos

The Immigrant Work Force

Women & Child Labor -Women at Work – 17% of labor

force/chided by men -Gibson girls – self driven, dealt with social

issues of the masses -1.7 million kids under 16 are working -cold water thrown at kids -pay discrepancies - $597 for men, $314 for

women -more jobs that “catered” to women

Unions…..Why can’t we all just get

along?

Struggle to Organize

-Language/Customs/Racism/Nativists

-Goals

-Support

-Communism and Socialism (Anarchial)

-Yellow Dog Contracts, Balcklists,

Lockouts

Unions…..Why can’t we all just get

along? Skilled vs. Unskilled Labor

Molly Maguires

-Irish Militants at Anthracite Coal Mine

-Took name from woman in Ireland who wouldn’t vacate property

-Cross-dressed to support her

Government Involvement - Injunctions

National Labor Union and Sexism

-no Chinese allowed

-8 hour day, but paid less too

-women drove down wages

-ILGWU – International Ladies Garment Workers Union

-Effective Union, won concessions, “Uprising of the 20,000”

Molly Maguire Notice

Unions…..Why can’t we all just get

along? Knights of Labor

-goals – collective bargaining

-started by Terrence Powderly

-too big, too many issues

American Federation of Labor (AF of L)

-goals – “Bread & Butter”

-started by Samuel Gompers

-Only skilled workers, no women, racist

International Workers of the World (Wobblies)

-1912

-started by Big Bill Haywood

-socialists & anarchists

Unions…..Why can’t we all just get

along?

Labor Day achieved in 1882

Bureau of Labor 1884

3 Strikes and yer out! (Plus 2 more

to Remember)

• Homestead Strike

-Carnegie is away, Frick is in charge

-workers are locked out

-Frick calls in Pinkerton’s – starts war

-Governor calls in Militia

-public opinion against strikers after assassination attempt on Frick

-all issues blamed on strikers (WHY?)

3 Strikes and yer out! (Plus 2 more

to Remember)

• Haymarket Square Riot

-public gathering outside McCormick Plant

-bomb goes off

-police blame strikers

-ends Knights of Labor (WHY?)

3 Strikes and yer out! (Plus 2 more

to Remember)

• Pullman Strike – injunction by Cleveland,

sides with company (In Re Debs)

• Anthracite Coal Strike – injunction by T.

Roosevelt, sides with labor

• Danbury Hatters Strike – government

strikes down workers claiming “restraint of

trade” (WHERE HAVE WE HEARD THIS

BEFORE AND WHAT DOES IT IMPLY?)

Weaknesses of the Labor

Movement

Splinter Factions

Diversity of Race and Skill

Transition in Jobs

Impact of Media on Middle Class

Tough Opposition (Company & Politics)

Lack of Governmental Support

-Courts & Law