The Rich And the Working Poor Working Conditions

The Rich And the Working Poor

Working Conditions § § § § Lung damaging dust filled the air Gas explosions were frequent Fires were a common danger Low pay Child labor 13 -14 hour work days with no “breaks” 6 day work week Serious injuries common No fresh air, windows & doors locked. Gas lamps provided light. No laws existed to protect factory workers. Machines were dangerous. Injuries common.

Child Labor § By 1900 2 million minors under age 15 work in dangerous factories throughout the country. § Young miners in Pennsylvania made 38 cents a day. § Worked underground up to 13 hours a day. § Sweatshop - Mostly young women working on sewing machines in filthy and overcrowded factories.

Wages & Labor §Average work week = 60 hours §Typical work day = 12 -14 hours §Average wage for unskilled labor = 10¢/hour §Women paid less and children least §No compensation for injuries

Knights of Labor § In 1869, workers formed a union called the Knights of Labor. § Held secret meetings because employers fired workers that met and joined unions. § In 1879, the union let women, blacks, immigrants, and unskilled workers join. § The goals of the Knights of Labor § shorter workday

American Federation of Labor § The Knights of Labor failed in trying to help workers. § In 1886, Samuel Gompers formed The American Federation of Labor. § Workers did not join the AFL directly. You first had to have your own union, then you could join the AFL. § Used collective bargaining to achieve its goals. Collective bargaining is when unions would negotiate with the management for workers as a group.

The B&O Railroad Strike -1877 § In 1877, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cut worker pay by 10%. § Workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia refused to run the trains. § Although this strike was not started by a union, many other cities and other industries joined in. § President Rutherford B. Hayes sent federal troops to stop the violence at these strikes. § During this two week periods, dozens of workers were killed. § This led to other organized strikes which encouraged thousands of workers to join the union.

Haymarket Riot 1886 § A demonstration, in protest of the killing of a striker by the Chicago police. § Nearly 200 policemen arrived to disperse the workers. § unidentified individual threw a bomb at them. § After the explosion and subsequent police gunfire, more than a dozen people lay dead or dying, & almost 100 were injured. § Eight men were convicted § Seven received the death

Homestead Steel Strike § lockout/strike at the Carnegie Steel plant in Homestead PA. § Dispute between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (the AA) and the Carnegie Steel Company. § Began on June 30, 1892, § Ended in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6. § Battle was one of the most serious disputes in U. S. labor history. § A major defeat for the union and a setback for efforts to unionize steelworkers.

Pullman Strike – 1894 § Workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts & the firing of union representatives. § They sought support from the American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs. § The ARU called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. 50, 000 rail workers complied & railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. § Railroad owners asked the federal government to intervene. § President Cleveland sent troops to Chicago. Rioting & bloodshed ensued. § The government's actions broke the strike

Triangle Fire - 1911 § March 25, A match or cigarette ignited a fire on the eighth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City. § Many of the exit doors were locked to prevent employee theft. § 146 people died in the blaze. § Died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. § Most victims were recent Jewish and Italian immigrant women aged