Labor Unions During the Gilded Age The National

Labor Unions During the Gilded Age • The National Labor Union ü Founded 1866 üstrict hierarchy • Knights of Labor üFounded 1869 üMore Loose rank in file • American Federation of Labor üFounded 1881 üSamuel Gompers as leader

The Strike Against the J. Gould Missouri Pacific Line 1887

Samuel Gompers • created and served as AFL leader from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924. • he believed in collective bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher wages. • his “upper-hand” was to include ONLY skilled laborers in the AFL. . Ignored most unskilled workers • Backed away from political agitation

Labor Unions and Strikes During the Gilded Age n Great railroad strike of 1877 • Began when 4 of the major railroad owners slashed wages. • Workers shut down transportation throughout U. S. • President Hayes called out the U. S. Army ü Hundreds of citizens killed and wounded ü Press blamed strikers for “Anarchy” bearing the destruction of property (i. e. railroads). n Haymarket Square Bombing, 1886 • Mc. Cormick Reaper Works owner shut down plant. • Police harass protesters finally killing 3. • Next protest meeting, May 4, 1886, supposed “anarchist” threw bomb into crowd killing an officer.

The Haymarket Square Bombing in 1886 was a significant blow to unions; the incident made it hard thereafter to effectively boycott and organize protests.

Decline of the Knights of Labor n Knights of Labor had nothing to do with the events in Haymarket Square § § Victim of the anti-labor sentiment Americans, it seemed, associated union strikes with foreign-borne ideas concerning ANARCHY

• The “Tariff Question” was th key issue in the 1888 election campaign. • Cleveland lost to Benjamin Harrison. The Republicans finally got the Executive Office back in their hands. Presidential hopeful, Ben Harrison in background responds to cheers against Cleveland’s “broken” administration and an “upset” Democratic Party (hence, the donkey).

The Homestead Strike of 1892.

Eugene V. Debs: Speaking before a crowd during the 1912 presidential election, he maintained his stance as a militant labor right’s activist and socialist. Debs: “While there is a lower class, I am in it; While there is a criminal element, I am of it; While there is a soul in prison, I am not free!”

The Pullman Strike of 1894 The Palace Pullman Car

Business Monopolies versus Labor Organization Most Americans saw Big Business as a necessary evil during the Gilded Age.

Points against the unions: • About 4% of all workers were union members by 1900. Ø That’s a small amount considering the growth of laborers during the Gilded Age. • Attitudes of immigrants were starkly different than American-born workers. Ø Most immigrants shared short-term goals. • Unions faced huge obstacles, both legal and political. Ø Remember Supreme Ct. ruled that corps. had legal rights under the 14 th Amendment.

Central Park, c. 1900 Ellis Island, c. 1900 The last three decades of the 19 th century saw more immigration from Europe, huge levels of industrialization, and the accumulation of wealth in America. Next topic: §Reform Movements in the “Gilded Age”