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Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution opened up more factories and, therefore, more job opportunities. These factory jobs had terrible working conditions, and the workforce mainly consisted of children. This encouraged workers to fight for a better work environment -
The Sherman Antitrust Act
It was the first major piece of legislation that affected labor unions. The law prohibited "restraint of commerce" across state lines. It also protected union strikes and boycotts. -
Homestead Strike
Andrew Carnegie was determined to break up the steel union. Therefore, he hired Pinkertons which is a detective agency. However, the strikers found this out and a fight ensued. 10 people on each side were killed. -
Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike in the US in response to recent reductions in wages. It pitted the American Railway Union against the Pullman Company and the federal government. An injunction was issued, but the strikers refused. The Army was brought in as a result, and violence broke out until the strike collapsed. -
Ludlow Massacre
Rockefeller's mine workers went on strike, and, as a result, he kicked them out of his town that was around the mine. The workers set up a shantytown nearby, and the National Guard invaded it and opened fire on all of the people. 200 people were killed -
The Great Depression
During the Great Depression, the unemployment rate in the US was 25%. This, in turn, drastically reduced the number of existing labor unions. Therefore, there was a need for labor unions. -
The New Deal
Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policy brought Americans out of the Great Depression. It did this by drastically improving the economy. It included lots of legislation that supported labor unions, such as The Wagner Act. -
The Wagner Act
It was an important piece of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal plan. It gave unions the right to organize workers without being harassed by employers. It also protected strikes and boycotts. -
The Fair Labor Standards Act
This piece of legislation was also part of FDR's New Deal plan. It set standards for the work environment like minimum wage, overtime, and child labor laws. This pleased unions because it was exactly what they stood for. -
World War II
35% of workers were all in labor unions. While the men went off to war, women and African Americans stayed behind to work their jobs. This created a new variety of workers with increasing demands for things like equal pay. -
UPS Workers Strike
This nationwide strike was the largest strike of the 1990s. 185,000 UPS workers were looking for a creation of full-time jobs, increased wages, and the retention of their multiemployer pension plan. In the end, all of their demands were met.
