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Noble Order Of The Knights of Labor
The Noble Order Of The Knights of Labor was a labor union formed by Philadelphia garment workers in 1869. It was opened to farmers, merchants and wage earners. It offered equal pay for equal work and had 8-hour work days. -
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Historic Riots, Strikes, and More
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Labor Day Created
Labor day is a holiday created by Peter Mcguire, and was first celebrated on september 5, 1882. Mcguire was a member of the brotherhood of carpenters, and thought that there should be a day in honor of people who do hard labor. Labor Day is still celebrated today. -
AFL Formed
The AFL was a labor union formed in 1886, and aimed to have better working conditions than other labor unions. It had better working conditions than other unions, as well as better pay. It was craft oriented and focused on producing goods. -
Haymaker Square Riot
The Haymaker Square Riot was a riot where workers in Chicago marched for an eight hour day protest. Police eventually had to come to break up the riot. Eight policemen died in the riot, and hundreds were injured. -
How The Other Half Lives
How The Other Half Lives was a book written by Jacob Riis in 1890. This book brought to attention the terrible living conditions of poor people. It helped people realize how terrible the lives of poor people really were. -
The Homestead Strike
The Homestead Strike was a strike and an industrial lockout. It was a battle between strikers and private security agents. It was one of the most serious disputes in US labor history. -
The Pullman Strike
The Pullman strike was a strike caused by a depression in 1893, in which George Pullman refused to lower rents for people in his villiage. Thousands of railroad workers went on strike in twenty seven different states. The strike collapsed after union leader Eugene Debs was arrested. -
The Coal Strike
The Coal strike was a strike led by PA miners. The strike threatened to shut down fuel supplies to major cities. Theodore Roosevelt shut down the strike by setting up a fact-finding commission. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act was a law passed to insure the safety of meat and other foods that might not have been cleanly produced. It also inspected the safety of medicines and drugs. With this law, factories and producers who make un-sanitary foods and drugs will be shut down. -
"The Jungle"
The Jungle was a book written to describe meat factories in 1906. This book told about how un-sanitary meat factories were. This book was probably one of the factors that caused working conditions to be regulated by the government. -
The Bitter Cry Of Children
The Bitter Cry Of Children was a book written by John Spargo that describes children working in coal mines. This book brought to attention the poor safety and working conditions of child labor. This book is probably one the reasons why child labor was outlawed. -
Triangle Shirt Factory Fire
The Triangle Shirt Factory Fire was a fire that occured in the Triangle Shirt Factory in 1911. 146 of the roughly 500 workers died in the fire, some of them were children. After the fire, the government passed many safety laws. -
Congress of Industrial Organization Formed
The Congress of Industrial Organization formed in 1935, breaking away from being part of the AFL and becoming it's own labor union. It focuses more on industrial production instead of craft production. -
The National Labor Relations Act
The National Labor Relations Act was a law passed to punish labor unions that pratice unsafe and unfair labor practices. This law also created the National Labor Relations Board. With this law, labor unions were safer than ever before. -
The GM Sit-Down Strike
The GM stike was a strike by General Motors employees that shut down many GM operations across the globe. Unlike other strikes, the employees showed up to work, but didn't work. The strike ended after roughly two months. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act was an important law that banned inhumane child labor. It introduced a minumum age that people could be employed at. It also set the number of hours children can work. -
Steel Strike
The Steel Strike was a strike by American steelworkers against U.S. Steel and nine other steelworker. The workers were on strike a pay increase, and finally won out after 53 days. -
Major League Baseball Strike
The Major League Baseball Strike was a strike caused by baseball players in want of a higher salary. After tweleve days of striking, players were given a salary increase. Eighty six games were missed and never were played because of this strike. -
New York City Transit Strike
The NYC Transit Strike was a strike caused by many transit workers in the city. For two days, very little transportation was offered to NYC citizens. The strike ended the next day, allowing transportation.
