THE LINES ARE DRAWN

1
THE LINES ARE DRAWN

• During the Industrial Age, tycoons emerged and
  amassed huge fortunes. Meanwhile, the gap in
  earnings between labor and capital became so
  large that conflict was inevitable

2
Urbanization and Industrialization

• By the 1840s the United States was on course to
  becoming the world's leading industrial nation
• Between 1870-1900, the number U.S. cities of
  100,000 or more went from 14 to 38. 15 cities
  had over 250,000 residents

3
Industrialization and social developments changed
the nation.

• Chicago, Illinois illustrates these changes
• From 1830-1900, Chicago went from a small
  frontier outpost to Americas 2nd largest city.
• Chicago evolved from a trade center to an
  international manufacturing center.
• Access to raw materials
• Access to investment capital (rich people)
• Access to huge supply of workers

4
Cheap Labor

• Immigration to the U.S. created a huge workforce
  that didnt command high wages and were willing
  to work
• In 1850, half of all Chicagoans were born abroad,
  mostly Germany and Ireland
• Approximately three out of every four residents
  were either from another country themselves or
  had at least one foreign-born parent
• Foreign workers more often occupied skilled and
  unskilled blue-collar jobs, while native born
  Americans filled more office jobs.

5
Capital The Man vs Labor Joe the Plumber

• Capital includes
• Stockholders
• executives and managers
• many office workers
• The Man consolidated large
• amounts of , without
• getting their hands dirty

• Labor includes
• Those who earn a living selling physical
  skill/effort
• Compensated hourly or based on production
• Laborers did the dirty
• work, but were not well paid

6
A gap opens up

• The story of the late nineteenth century involved
  the battle between capital and labor, the haves
  and have nots
• Key issues
• Who controls wages
• Who controls hours
• Who determines the means of production
• Who sets standards for safety in the workplace

7
(No Transcript)
8
Unfortunate Trendsthe man v. the worker

• Capitalists (the man) tend towards larger
  workplaces, w/ several layers of supervision,
  increased use of technology, and division of the
  manufacturing process into many unskilled parts
• The owners of capital were making loads of money
  at the expense of labor

• Labor saw this tendency as a threat to workers
  worth and power. Workers were becoming cheap,
  replaceable cogs in a machine. Their rights were
  being ignored for increased profits
• The laborers saw profits increasing and owners
  getting rich, while they toiled and suffered

9
Who will speak for the worker?

• The Labor Union
• For most, labor unions represent solidarity among
  the working classes, bringing people together
  across many professions to lobby for better
  rights, wages and benefits
• However, unions get a not-so-nice reputation
• Some people associate unions with organized crime
  and dirty words like communism and socialism.
• Many workers responded unfavorably to unions
  because being associated with them could threaten
  their job security

10
What do unions do

• collective bargaining- workers in a Union are
  able to negotiate for better wages, conditions
  and benefits
• grievance procedure- for resolving workplace
  problems
• power in numbers- Unions give regular working
  people respect and a means of making a real
  difference

11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
Haymarket Riot

• Back to Chicago, 1886, Police responded violently
  at the McCormick Reaper Works as workers
  nationwide went on strike for an 8-hr work day.
• The following day workers, socialists and
  anarchists rallied to protest the police action
  and continue to lobby for workers rights.

14
(No Transcript)
15
a bomb from somewhere

• When the police moved in to disperse the crowd, a
  bomb exploded. Gunfire and chaos followed, and
  when the smoke cleared 7 police officers were
  killed and over 60 wounded.
• There was no official count of civilian
  casualties or wounded.

16
Haymarket contd

• Although no bomb thrower was ever idd, numerous
  rioters were arrested and 8 convicted for
  inflammatory speeches and publications.
• Despite pleas from labor leaders and other
  activists, four of the convicted were hanged on
  November 1, 1887. Another committed suicide in
  prison by placing a stick of dynamite in his
  mouth. The remaining 3 were pardoned by the
  governor.

17
Response to unions

• Not surprisingly, The Man was not usually in
  favor of unions. They saw the leaders of union
  movements as trouble-makers, anarchists, etc.
• Agencies such as the Pinkertons were used to
  intimidate, threaten and discourage workers from
  speaking out.

18
(No Transcript)
19
Workers Organize!!

• Labor Unions emerged and gave power and voice to
  the multitude of oppressed laborers
• Early unions included the National Labor Union,
  the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of
  Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World.

20
Organize

• Union membership peaked in 1945 when 35 of all
  non-agricultural workers were union.
• As of 2006, over 15 million American workers were
  unionized and some 60 million U.S. workers say
  they would join a union if they could.

21
Your assignmentif you choose to accept itJust
kidding its not optional

• Define the following as they relate to labor
• Scabs -Strikes
• Strike-breakers -Slow-downs
• Pinkertons -Stoppages
• -Lockout
• -Look at the early unions in the U.S., the NLU,
  the KOL, the AFL, and the IWW.
• 1.What group did each union represent
• 2.Who is credited with founding the union
• 3.How did the union try to achieve their goals.
  Were they successful
• 4.What stance did they take toward minorities
• 5.Are they still active today
• 6.What are 3 of the most influential unions
  today? What do they do