-
Noble Order of the Knights of Labor formed
This order wasf formed in 1869, by Uriah Stephens. It was open to all workers except for bankers, lawyers, stockbrokers, doctors, and liquor manufactors. This organization was secret; until the new leader (Terence Pouderly) stopped th secrecy. They claimed to have 700,000 members! But this organization fell by the A.F.L. in 1886. -
American Federation of Labor formed
This group was organized in 1886. It focused on better working conditions and better pay. They also wanted union labels on produced items. This was craft oriented. -
Haymarket Square Riot.
In 1886, some workers in Chicago marh for an 8 hour day; protest the McComick Harvesting machine. The police came to break down the strike. Anarchists were blamed for violence. 8 policemen died, and 100's were injured. The police saw the unions and anarchists as a problem. -
How The Other Half Lives, by Jacob Riis
This book was written in 1890. It told you about the living conditions in the New York City slums during the 1880's. The book describe how poorly these people were living. It said how small it was where they lived, how many people lived there and more. -
Homestead Strike
It was and idustrial lockout and strike that began on June 30, 1892. It was between strikers and private security agens on July 6, 1882. This was one of the most serious disputes in U.S. labor history. It occured at homestead Steel Works in the Pittsburgh- area town of Homestead, PA. -
Pullman Strike
The company built a town of pullman so they could rent the houses; the rents went high and in 1893, wages slashed due to the Panic of 1893. Workers went on strike and in only a couple of days, thousands of railroad workers in 27 states, went on strike. The union leaders were arrested and imprisoned. -
Labor Day Holiday Created
Labor Day was made a holiday in 1894, by the federal government. It was created for the labor movement of the 19th century. For some Americans, it symbolizes the end of summer. It also is celebrates workers and they're achievments. -
Coal Strike
By the United Mine Workers of America in PA. The strike threatened to shut down the winter fuel supply to all of the major cities. Roosevelt became involved and set up a fact-finding commission that suspended the strike. But the strike never resumed after that, they recieved more pay for fewer hours and the owners got a higher price for coal. -
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
The Jungle was written on Februay 28, 1906. This book did as much as animal-rights activist do today to get people to become vegetarians. When President Rossevelt read this book, he was sickened by it. He passed a law establishing the Food and Drug administration. -
Pure Food and Drug Act passed
This was made on June 30, 1906. It was a U.S. federal law that provided a federal inspection of meat products. They could also forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportaion of the food. Also the poisonous pantent medicines. -
The Bitter Cry of Children, by John Spargo.
This book was written in 1906, like the book "The Jungle". This book exposed the hardships that the children suffered by child laborers. He said many didn't know they're abc's and didn't know about God either. They also worked 10 hours a day for only 60 cents a day. This book described how they worked so hard to get cheated off by not getting paid well and having a poor education. -
Triangle Shirt Factory Fire
275 girls collected all of their things to go leave work. But in twenty minutes, some of them were in lines of charred corpses. 146 employes died in the fire. Many people were outraged by this tragedy. Restrictions were than made to help prevent fires and prevent blockage from fire escapes. -
Congress of Industrial Organization formed
Was part of the AFL, until 1935 when they split from them. They broke away because it advocated organization alond industrial lines rather than craft lines. They finally reinintergrated in 1955 with the AFL. -
National Labor Relations Act passed
Formed in 1935, it was also calledthe Wagner Act. This was pro labor and gave labor's rights to organize legally. It also created the National Labor Relations Board. It had the power to punish unfaid labor laws. -
GM Sit-down-Strike
Actually lasted from 1936 through 1937, GM workers went to work, but they didn't do anything. It spread to other GM plants. Roosevelt pressured GM's management to talk with the leaders of the strike and find a way to end it. GM decided to make a contract with the UAW; finally, the strikers won. -
Fair Labor Standards Act passed
Passed in 1938, it was achieved by the Federal regulation of child labor. And for the first time, they had how old you have to be to work. They also had how many hours you can work. They were for children and were regulated by federal law. -
Steel Strike
This was a strike by the United Steelweroker of America against the U.S. steel and nine other steelmakers. It was suppose to begin on April 9, 1952, but President truemen nationalized the American steel industy hours before the workers walked out. Than the steel companies began to regain control of their facilities. Than, the Supreme Court ruled in the steel companies favor when they sued the President for what he did. -
Major Leauge Baseball Strike
This was the first players stirke in Major League Baseball history! It occured on April 1, 1972, to April 13, 1972. 86 games were missed over those days, and were never played because the league refused to pay the players for the time they were on stirke. Evenually, the owners and players agreed to a $500,000 increase in Pension. -
New York City Transit Strike
Recently, a strike was called by the TWU in New York City. There were negotiations for a new contrat with the MTA. They broke down over retirement, pension, and wage increases. It began on December 20, 2005. Millions of commuters were affected, and the strike ended on December 22, 2005. Everything was fully operational on the 23.
