-
National Labor Union was founded
The date of the actual foundation of the National Labor Union could not actually be found, so a default date was used. -
Chicago's Haymarket Square Riot
Fighting between strikers and temporary workers, aka Scabs, took place in front of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. Police protected the scabs attempting to enter the factory. When fighting erupted between strikers and scabs, the police beat strikers and fired into the crowd. A person, still unknown, threw a home-made pipe bomb into the crowd. Seven "anarchists" were charged with the pipe bomb and sentenced to death. -
The foundation of the AFL
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was orginally founded in 1881 as the Federation of Organized Trade and Labor Unions. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Law
Intended to block business monopolies, it will be used effectively by employers against unions. -
Idaho Homestead Strike
Protested wage cuts at one of Andrew Carnegie’s steel plants in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When Pittsburgh police refused to end the strike, Carnegie hired 300 private agents from the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency to subdue the protest. The laborers, however, won a surprising victory after a bloody standoff. President Benjamin Harrison eventually sent troops to end the strike. -
The start of the Pullman Strikes
The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in United States history. Before coming to an end, it involved over 150,000 people and 27 states and territories and would paralyze the nations railway system. Because of a depression, factory wages at the company fell about twenty-five percent, but the rents George Pullman charged did not decrease. If a Pullman worker went into debt, it was taken from his paycheck. -
The foundation of the Knights of Labor
Originally a secret society in 1869, the Knights picked up where the National Labor Union had left off. The union united skilled and unskilled laborers in the countryside and cities. Unlike the National Labor Union, the Knights allowed blacks and women among its ranks. Although they did win a series of strikes in their fight against long hours and low wages. The Knights did not last long thought, when members were falsely associated with the pipe bombers, the union fell apart. Default date used. -
IWW Founded
The IWW, or Wobblies, is one of the most radical of all organized labor groups. Though they will achieve only limited success in moving their agenda forward, they will inspire generations of labor activists with their militant spirit. -
The Clayton Anti-Trust Act
The Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 gave labor the legal right to strike, but it took the devastating effects of the Great Depression to highlight the need for fundamental labor reform.
