STRIKES AND UNIONS THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE THE

STRIKES AND UNIONS

THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE • THE PANIC OF 1873 CAUSED A SEVER RECESSION IN THE US • IN 1877 THEBALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROADS ANNOUNCED THEY WERE CUTTING WAGES • 80, 000 RAIL WORKERS WALKED OFF THE JOB AFFECTING 2/3 RDS OF THE NATIONS RAILWAYS • PRESIDENT HAYES SENT FEDERAL TROOPS TO FIX THE SITUATION • AFTER 12 DAYS, OVER 100 PEOPLE DIED AND $10 MILLION IN RAILROAD PROPERTY WAS DESTROYED

THE HAYMARKET RIOT • IN 1886 SUPPORTERS OF AN 8 HOUR WORKDAY CALLED FOR A NATIONAL STRIKE ON MAY 1 ST • THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR LED A MARCH OF 80, 000 WORKERS IN CHICAGO • ON MAY 3 RD POLICE FIRED ON STRIKERS, KILLING 4, AT THE MCCORMICK HARVESTING MACHINE COMPANY • ON MAY 4 TH, 3, 000 PEOPLE MET ATCHICAGO’S HAYMARKET SQUARE TO HEAR SPEECHES • WHEN POLICE ARRIVED, SOMEONE THREW A BOMB AND KILLED ONE OFFICER AND WOUNDED 6 OTHERS • POLICE OPENED FIRE AND WORKERS SHOT BACK, ABOUT 100 PEOPLE WERE INJURED, INCLUDING 70 POLICE OFFICERS

THE HOMESTEAD STRIKE • IN 1892, WORKERS AT A STEEL MILL IN HOMESTEAD, PA REFUSED A NEW CONTRACT WHICH CUT WAGES BY 20% • STRIKERS WERE PREVENTING THE PINKERTON DETECTIVE AGENCY FROM ENTERING THE MILL WITH REPLACEMENT WORKERS • AFTER 14 HOURS OF FIGHTING, SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE DEAD ON BOTH SIDES • THE GOVERNOR OF PA ORDERED THE MILITIA IN TO TAKE CONTROL, THE STRIKE COLLAPSED

THE PULLMAN STRIKE • IN 1893 WORKERS FOR THEPULLMAN PALACE CAR COMPANY WENT ON STRIKE BECAUSE OF LOW WAGES AND HIGH PRICES IN COMPANY STORES • GEORGE PULLMAN AND RAILROAD MANAGERS ARRANGED FOR U. S. MAIL CARS TO BE ATTACHED TO THE PULLMAN CARS • IF STRIKERS REFUSED TO HANDLEPULLMAN CARS, THEY WOULD BE INTERFERING WITH THEU. S. MAIL • PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND SENT TROOPS IN FIX THE SITUATION • A FEDERAL COURT ISSUED AN INJUNCTION, STOPPING THE

AFL AND IWW • AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR (AFL) • • • DOMINANT UNION IN THE LATE 1800 S PROMOTED INTERESTS OF SKILLED WORKERS 3 GOALS – RECOGNIZE UNIONS, CLOSED SHOP ARRANGEMENTS, 8 HOUR WORK DAY • INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD (IWW) • • • WANTED TO ORGANIZE ALL WORKERS ACCORDING TO INDUSTRY TRIED TO ORGANIZE UNSKILLED WORKERS NEVER GAINED LARGE MEMBERSHIP AND WAS SEEN AS TOO RADICAL