Mrs Battaglia Tessie age 12 years Tony age

Mrs. Battaglia, Tessie (age - 12 years), Tony (age - 7 years) Garment workers. Husband crippled by a fall, tends to basement. Mrs. Battaglia works in shop except Saturdays, when the children sew with her at home. Get 2 or 3 cents a pair finishing men's pants. Said they earn $1 to $1. 50 on Saturday. Father disabled and can earn very little. New York

"Radishes! Penny a bunch!" Boys and girls sell all day until 11 P. M. Cincinnati, OH

Girl's Shoe-Shining Parlor. Said he was 15 years old. Works some nights until 11 P. M. Indianapolis, Ind.

Welch Mining Co. , Welch, W. Va. Boy running "trip rope" at tipple. Overgrown, but looked 13 years old. Works 10 hours a day. Welch, W. Va.

Putting bottles into the Annealing Oven. 1 A. M. Indianapolis, Ind.

Glass blower and mold boy. Boy has 4 1/2 hours of this at a stretch; then an hour's rest and 4 1/2 more: cramped position. Day shift one week: night shift next. Grafton, W. Va.

Girl working in Box Factory. I saw 10 small boys and girls working. Has a bad reputation for employment of youngsters, but work is slack now. Tampa, Fla.

"Smoke if You Got 'em"

"There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work. " -- Lewis Hine, 1908

Three Main Questions! 1. What was the goal for unions? What methods did they use? 2. How did the businesses respond? 3. Historically, how has the government responded to unions?

Goals of unions: to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA's) (or a contract) for their members that gain improved wages, benefits and working conditions. What methods do unions use to achieve their goals? 1. Negotiation 2. Slow Down - slowing down production to pressure a business into meeting demands 3. Sick Out - having numerous workers call in sick on one day 4. Picketing 5. Strike

Businesses Respond: strongly and often violently opposed by management 1. Firing union organizers. 2. Placing union organizers on a blacklist. 3. Yellow-Dog Contracts 4. Factory owners were granted injunctions by the courts. An injunction is a court order banning a certain activity. In this case, it was organizing workers. 5. Fired striking workers fired and replaced them with scabs. 6. The police and hired thugs would use violence to break up strikes and union rallies.

How has the American government treated unions? 1. Anti Union - 1830's - 1932: The government sided with factory owners as it embraced the Laissez Faire/Rugged Individualist mentality. Courts granted injunctions (court order stopping a certain activity) based upon the Sherman Antitrust Act to stop union activity. The Sherman Act declared any "conspiracy in restraint of trade" to be illegal and the courts felt that unions were such a conspiracy. President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to break up the great Railroad strike. 26 strikers were killed. President Teddy Roosevelt sent in federal troops to break up the Great Anthracite (coal) strike. In 1914 the Clayton Antitrust Act made Union's legal but courts continued to grant injunctions and favor management.

How has the American government treated unions? 2. Pro Union - 1932 - 1945 - During the time the government passed laws that supported union activity. The Great Depression changed the way people looked at government help and the way Americans viewed the government's responsibility as a whole. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) gave unions bargaining power. It also created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB had the power to mediate in negotiations and assist unions in gaining fair negotiations. The Wages and Hours Act was passed creating a 40 hour work week and a minimum wage. The Social Security Act was passed providing for government run pensions for all workers.