Labor Union Essay Blog

3/3/2015

Directions:

Collaborate in your groups to write one paragraph at a time in order to answer the essay question.
Submit each paragraph on the essay blog, starting with the introduction (be sure to leave your names!!).
Read the paragraphs of other groups and offer comments and suggestions. **Note: Each group is required to leave a comment and suggestion for at least one other group.

***Remember that you need a specific, argumentative thesis that guides your entire essay. Be sure to include your thesis somewhere towards the end of your introduction paragraph. Your thesis will be a major component in grading your essay.

Essay Question:
How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of success achieved.

12 Comments

Mendel Johnson, Dakarai Conway

3/4/2015 04:15:21 pm

Thesis: From 1875 to 1900, labor unions were somewhat successful in improving the working conditions of laborers, as there were increases in wages and shorter working hours for workers. One factor was that, in a labor union, you would be able to achieve these feats easier than if you were to try to attempt to gain these conditions on your own. However, there were also some setbacks associated with these labor unions as well. Some of these setbacks included, but are not limited to, corruption, bribes, and unclear objectives. Also imbalances in the age range of labor unions led certain people to gain benefits, while others did not.

Fahim and Shadia

3/4/2015 04:23:02 pm

During the period 1875 to 1900 the vast majority of American work was still done on the farm, but with 20th century approaching the United States economy revolved around the factory and organized labor allowed the factory workers to be working in an organized and more of a safe fashion compared to their predecessors.

Washington, Ashley, Dawris, Ibrahim

3/4/2015 04:26:33 pm

Through out 1875 to 1900 organized labor in improving the position of workers because despite there effort to raise wages and lower hours they only made minimal differences. They only hired wages one to five cents and lowered hours by one to two minutes.

Gustavo and SM(5th PD)

3/4/2015 04:29:09 pm

Prior to the 1800s, workers would be wrongfully exploited by their employers because they had no proper representation such as labor unions which were formed in the late 1800s. These organized Labor Unions like Knights of Labor(1869) and American Federation of Labor(1886) were successful at improving the workers’ conditions including prohibition on child labor, promoting eight-hour workday and minimum wage. The strike of 1886 in Haymarket Square, the Pullman strike of 1894 and other events contributed to the level of success achieved by the labor unions.

Angelo,Cristobal,Kevin,Luilli

3/6/2015 04:58:23 pm

Ashly (The first to secede)

3/9/2015 04:50:56 pm

Throughout the 1875 to 1900 organized labor was not successful in improving the position of workers because because despite their effort to raise wages and lower hours they only made minimal differences. They only raised wages one to five cents and lowered hours by one to two minutes. Plus their disorganization made it impossible for workers to get a clear and possively efficient union that would protect each of their individual needs. Also the separation of the unions made the big companies hesitant to do business with most of them for using aggressive savage like tactics.
Disorganization was the main reason for the failures of most of these organizations, this meaning that the main founders of the organization may have had ideas of peaceful protests and negotiation but the large amount of followers confused that idea and formed riots and became aggressive and hostile toward their employers and most companies. This gave the unions a bad name since the riots and other disruptive behavior was represented by their members making the whole union look bad and also made companies not want to deal with them and since the unions represented workers it made companies try to find labor internationally to avoid working with american laborers which eventually lead to companies exporting workers from places like china, Africa,Hispaniola,Cuba,Puerto Rico, Italy etc. This made labor cheaper and allowed the big monopolies to exploit their workers by almost making it impossible for the immigrants to gain any money since the money just circulated inside the monopoly.
The BIG goal of the unions was to raise wages and lower hours but big companies saw this as losing money and making less products which led to losing money, today most companies don't have that problem since they aren't based in america and save money by paying about 0.08 cents to 0.16 cents an hour for international factory labor and most jobs and exporting it back to america. Despite this they did get to raise wages by one or two cents and yes that does show progress but after losing money companies fired workers to stabilize their income again and created monopolies for more income which eventually led to exploitation and workers neglect in factories. It also lead to tenement housing and pollution of people in the city with also little to no cleanliness in factories and homes.
Despite their efforts to unite all workers, unions got higher wages, less hours and worse conditions for workers. The unions technically met their goals but not to their desired extent, the losses were greater for the workers as they lost jobs and the markets became polluted, companies went bankrupt, and even treatment worsened over time. So, yes they met their goals but at the cost of others.

Angelo Lemus, Luillys Francisco, Cristobal Melendez, Kevin Tran

3/10/2015 02:29:31 am

In the late 1800’s the outraged working class began to fight back against their employers. This caused a decrease in production for the extended period of time thus leading to oppression of people. American organized labor saw success in the form of collective bargaining and the negotiation for the rights of the working class. These organized labor unions utilized various methods such as work stoppage and their sheer number of associates to gain their goals. Events such as the Homestead Strikes’ failure led to union reform.
Many labor unions appeared during the 1800’s and had goals to improve work conditions and raise wages for the working class citizens. A great example of this statement is the Homestead Strike which occurred on July 6th of 1892. 300 Pinkerton detectives were hired to dismember a large group of some 10,000 men, women and children striking outside of the Carnegie Steel works. Among those 10,000, several hundred men carried rifles, shotguns or pistols, and most of the others brandished sticks, stones or clubs where as the 300 Pinkertons held Winchester rifles. Although they were put down and failed, their blood, sweat and tears influenced others to advance in the plans to fight for better working conditions making the working conditions in this country what it is today.
The labor unions were able to to use their immense numbers in order to incite strikes and work stoppage were able to gain them momentarily success but at the end these strikes all ended in failures. The Great Southwest Railroad Strike which was organized by the knights of labor had an impressive 200,000 strikers that supported them and fought for reforms. This strike, as well as most other strikes failed because of lack of support. Government tried to end the enormous power that companies had on the united states by making the Sherman Antitrust Act which blocked monopolies between businesses but it ended up being used to put a stop to strikes which was the labor unions main weapon against these horrible companies. These many setbacks to the labor unions plans didn’t stop them from fighting for what they believed in. When the Knights of labor were disbanded because of the great southwest railroad strikes they were replaced by the ambitious American Federation of Labor the AFL kept fighting for the same goals of increase money wage and safe working condition that the Knights of labor fought for and were persistent.Then in March 4,1913 the Federal department of Labor was made which was the goal the dreams of all labor unions. Soon after the Clayton act of of 1914 was made which did the same as the Sherman Antitrust Act but didn’t allow strikes to be disbanded.
In conclusion, the United States was able to reach an ultimatum that equipped unions with the tools necessary to insure their rights and improve the positions of workers that were part of said unions. American organized labor had achieved success in the form of collective bargaining and the negotiation for the rights of the working class, this success included establishing the Federation of Labor which composed of the working class. In the end these drawn out conflicts were necessary for the long term security of the rights for the proletarians for generations to come.

Citation:
Shmoop Editorial Team. "History of Labor Unions Timeline of Important Dates." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Law in History of Labor Unions." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.
Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, and Douglas A. McIntyre. "The 10 Biggest Strikes in American History." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Washington, Ibrahim, Dawris

3/10/2015 01:51:23 pm

Throughout 1875 to 1900 organized labor in improving the position of workers was successful due to increases in wages and shorter working hours. Also Labor Unions took in all types of people like women, unskilled and skilled workers. The benefits of the labor helped the workers sustain life.
In the late 19th century major Labor Unions helped support workers. In 1886 the Knights of Labor obtained 700,000 workers in their union. The Knights of Labor accepted all workers and wanted workers to be owners. The American Federation of Labor accepted skilled workers He accepted capitalism and the wage system, but sought better wages and working conditions, and shorter hours for skilled workers. The AFL accepted capitalism and the wage system, but sought better wages and working conditions. The labor unions had 8 hours of labor, 8 hours recreation, and 8 hours rest.

Even though labor unions had accepted my types of workers the disorganization of labor unions became its downfall. Disorganization leads to riots, arguments and separation within its own union. huge labor unions such as the knights of labor were struck by this same problem, as the union would become larger it would become more diverse and would succeed becoming its own little union. This is why even today we have different types of labor unions for different jobs suitable for each individual. Now let’s flip the script, having all this conflict meant change, giving the labor unions a picture of their mistakes, tactics and use of power. Due to these problems the labor unions were able to figure out how to best use the power of its member which resulted in the separation giving more power to labor unions as they rose as many but one in all.

During the industrial era the United States was going through an era of change, being that the industrial growth had caused increased immigration, new inventions or technologies and also the growth of monopolies. during the industrial era many of the works who were working for the big company were being treated unfairly, working long hours with little pay getting little to no brakes and even working in unsafe arises being that the worker decided to make a union.

SM, Gustavo, Mian

3/10/2015 04:52:40 pm

Essay Question:
How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of success achieved.

Prior to the 1800s, workers would be wrongfully exploited by their employers because they had no proper representation such as labor unions which were formed in the late 1800s. These organized Labor Unions like Knights of Labor(1869) and American Federation of Labor(1886) were successful at improving the workers’ conditions including prohibition on child labor, promoting eight-hour workday and minimum wage. The strike of 1886 in Haymarket Square, the Pullman strike of 1894 and other events contributed to the level of success achieved by the labor unions.

An 8-hour workday was a much demanded motif of the majority of the workforce even before the 1900s notably even dating back to the first major strike of the U.S, the 1835 Philadelphia general strike, which prompted the creation of labor unions. It was during the era of the industrial revolution when companies wanted to maintain factories running at 24 hours a day and would in effect need workers to work more hours and lower wage for maximum efficiency. In May 1st 1886, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions declared that it would the day would be the first mandatory 8-hour work day, however the union had no legal standing and relied on all of the workers combined strikes and boycotts to declare their message to companies. One company : the Ford Motor Company did listen to the Federation’s strikes and lowered factories’ work hours to 8 while doubling wage. In a surprise turn of events the Ford’s factories’ productivity significantly increased and raised their profit margins. Other companies soon imitated Ford and helped spread the idea of 8 hour work day in the US and its government.The eight-hour day finally became a reality in 1938 when the New Deal’s Fair Labor Standards Act made it a legal day’s work throughout the nation as a result of the past and present labour unions’ efforts over the century.

As industrialization moved workers from farms and home workshops into urban areas and factory work, children were often preferred, because factory owners viewed them as more manageable, cheaper, and less likely to strike. Growing opposition to child labor in the North caused many factories to move to the South. By 1900, states varied considerably in whether they had child labor standards and in their content and degree of enforcement.American childrens worked in large numbers in mines, glass factories, textiles, agriculture, canneries, home industries. Child labor began to decline as the labor and reform movements grew and labor standards in general began improving. The national child labor Committee's work to end child labor was combined with effort to provide free, mandatory education for all children and created in the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, which set federal standards for child labor.

Before the late 1800s, labors were not be paid fairly but a very small amount. Sometimes they couldn’t afford the regular necessary things they needed to buy. For example, workers of Pullman train would get paid $9.07 in two weeks and $9 would be taken away from their paycheck for rent. That only left the workers with 7 cents to feed their family. One worker later testified: "I have seen men with families of eight or nine children crying because they got only three or four cents after paying their rent." The famous labor strike of unrest, The Pullman Strike began on May 11, 1894 and it started after factory workers tried to negotiate over low wages because they were getting paid low wages. The workers decided to not work on any trains that included Pullman cars. The boycott crippled railroad traffic nationwide because almost all the trains included Pullman cars in them. Later a federal investigation even criticized George Pullman for refusing to negotiate with the labors. The Pullman Strike was a great success for organized labor. More importantly, this strike set the groundwork for labors trying to improve their minimum wage and it caught national attention.
In conclusion, the organized labour in the late 1800s achieved in improving the working status. They used strikes, boycotts and courageous declarations to improve child labour status, the 8 hour work day, and minimum wage. Thanks to all the efforts of these labour unions, workers in the US now have much better working conditions.

Sources:
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1678.html
http://www.history.com/topics/labor
http://madeinusachallenge.com/2012/achievements-of-labor-unions-guest-post/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/chicago/peopleevents/p_pullman.html

Dakarai Conway, Mendel Johnson

3/10/2015 04:59:45 pm

Mendel Johnson, Dakarai Conway A.P U.S History

March 5,2015 Period 5

In the mid 1800s to early 1900s there was a rise in the start of labor unions, as many people who worked were dismayed at the conditions that they were working in. There were some that were brave enough to stand up for themselves and others who were in the same state of affliction. These people rallied to create an environment that strived to protect the few rights given to the employees by their employers. From 1875 to 1900, labor unions were somewhat successful in improving the working conditions of laborers, as there were increases in wages and shorter working hours for workers. In other words, even though there were advances made, there were also many shortcomings in these various labor unions. One factor was that, in a labor union, you would be able to achieve these feats easier than if you were to try to attempt to gain these conditions on your own. However, there were also some setbacks associated with these labor unions as well. Some of these setbacks included, but are not limited to, corruption, bribes, and unclear objectives. Also,imbalances in the age range of labor unions led certain people to gain benefits, while others did not.

As for setbacks,there were many. In the world of business, there is always constant competition, competition for power, money and loyalty. Many setbacks were due to the fact that many unions, such as the Knights of Labor, were not as organized as they needed to be. Many strikes ended up in failure at the result of this. Some people, as a result, ended up getting benefits or rights, whereas others were left to continue in their state of agony. Racial tensions rose as African-Americans as well as women were continually discriminated against by the labor unions as those involved did not want to really represent these lower class, unskilled workers. They received about half the pay of actual skilled workers, such as craftsmen, artisans and mechanics. With the coming increase in factories, children, women and poor immigrants were commonly hired to work for longer and for less pay than normal workers.

Unions plagued by unclear objectives often led to their untimely downfall. Unlike most other unions that fell victim to these troubles, such as the Knights of Labor which dissolved and had majority of those who were once members of it leave and join the AFL ( American Federation of Labor) which were much more organized. Another notable organization is he I.W.W (Industrial Workers of the World) which was mostly socialist, as they stressed a need for the dissolvement of a capitalist American economy. Nevertheless, their drive, organization, and resolution to thrive helped these two unions to stay alive for majority of the late 1800s to 1900s.

Angelo Lemus, Luillys Fransisco, Cristobal Melendez, Kevin Tran

3/11/2015 04:57:21 pm

In the late 1800’s the outraged working class began to fight back against their employers. This caused a decrease in production for the extended period of time thus leading to oppression of people. American organized labor saw success in the form of collective bargaining and the negotiation for the rights of the working class. These organized labor unions utilized various methods such as work stoppage and their sheer number of associates to gain their goals. Events such as the Homestead Strikes’ failure led to union reform.

Many labor unions appeared during the 1800’s and had goals to improve work conditions and raise wages for the working class citizens. A great example of this statement is the Homestead Strike which occurred on July 6th of 1892. 300 Pinkerton detectives were hired to dismember a large group of some 10,000 men, women and children striking outside of the Carnegie Steel works. Among those 10,000, several hundred men carried rifles, shotguns or pistols, and most of the others brandished sticks, stones or clubs where as the 300 Pinkertons held Winchester rifles. Although they were put down and failed, their blood, sweat and tears influenced others to advance in the plans to fight for better working conditions making the working conditions in this country what it is today.

The labor unions were able to to use their immense numbers in order to incite strikes and work stoppage were able to gain them short-lived success but at the end these strikes all ended in failures. The Great Southwest Railroad Strike which was organized by the knights of labor had an impressive 200,000 strikers that supported them and fought for reforms. This strike, as well as most other strikes failed because of lack of support. Government tried to end the enormous power that companies had on the United States by enforcing the Sherman Antitrust Act which blocked monopolies between businesses. However, this was used to put a stop to strikes which was the labor unions main weapon against these horrible companies. These setbacks, to the labor unions plans, didn’t stop them from fighting for what they believed in. When the Knights of Labor were disbanded due to the great southwest railroad strikes they were replaced by the ambitious American Federation of Labor .The AFL continued fighting for the same goals of increased wages and safe working conditions that the Knights of Labor fought for and were persistent.Then in March 4,1913 the Federal department of Labor was made which was the goal the dreams of all labor unions. Soon after the Clayton act of of 1914 was made which did the same as the Sherman Antitrust Act but didn’t allow strikes to be disbanded.

In conclusion, the United States was able to reach an ultimatum that equipped unions with the tools necessary to insure their rights and improve the positions of workers that were part of said unions. American organized labor had achieved success in the form of collective bargaining and the negotiation for the rights of the working class, this success included establishing the Federation of Labor which composed of the working class. In the end these drawn out conflicts were necessary for the long term security of the rights for the proletarians for generations to come.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "History of Labor Unions Timeline of Important Dates." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Law in History of Labor Unions." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.
Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, and Douglas A. McIntyre. "The 10 Biggest Strikes in American History." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Labor Union Software link

10/26/2015 12:51:19 pm

It’s great to finally see that unions are embracing technology which can make it easier to join a union. These types of changes can help raise membership counts and fill unions with the younger generation.

Labor Union Essay Blog

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