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13TH AMENDMENT
The 13th Amendment officially ended slavery. It states "Neither slavery or involuntary servitude, except for punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction". It was passed and the end of the Civil War. -
NATIONAL LABOR UNION
The National Labor Union was formed to put pressure on Congress to cause labor law reform. The union was made up of unskilled and skilled workers, laborers and farmers. The union asked Congress to order an eight hour work day. This failed and the union dissolved in 1873. -
THE 1ST LABOR DAY
The first Labor Day was created from the labor movement and is dedicated to the achievements of the American worker. The day is a yearly tribute to workers contributions of strength, prosperity, and well being of the United States. The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York and is now a national holiday. -
HAYMARKET RIOT
The Haymarket Riot took place in Chicago. It was set up by labor radicals in protest the killing and wounding of many workers by the Chicago police during a strike the day before at the McCormick Reaper Works. A notable effect was the rise of anti-union and anti-labor view points across the US. -
HOMESTEAD STRIKE
The Homestead strike was between one of the largest steel companies, Carnegie Steel Company and the nation’s strongest trade union, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. In 1889 the steelworkers won a favorable three-year contract but in 1882 the owner of Carnegie Steel, Andrew Carnegie, was determined to break the union. He had is plant manager step up production demands and when the union workers refused he began locking them out of the plant. -
THE PULLMAN STRIKE
The Pullman Strike was an extensive railroad strike and boycott. The strike caused great disruption in railroad traffic in the Midwest. The federal governments involvement in this strike marked the first time an injunction was used to break a strike. The strike ended on July 20, 1894. -
SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE
The Shirtwaist Factory fire happened New York City. It is the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City, and one of the deadliest in American history. This was because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked to prevent unauthorized breaks and worker theft. It brought attention to the dangerous conditions of sweatshop factories, and led to the progress of regulations and laws to protect the safety of workers. One hundred and forty-five people died in the fire. -
TEXTILE WORKERS STRIKE OF 1934
The Textile Workers Strike of 1934 was the largest labor strike in US history at the time. The workers fought for better working conditions and wages , and union recognition. It lasted 22-days and over 400,00 workers went on strike. -
THE WAGNER ACT
The Wagner Act is also referred to as The National Labor Relations Act of 1935. It is the foundation of the United States labor law that assures the right of private sector employees to organize trade unions, take part in collective bargaining, and go on strike. -
STEEL STRIKE 1959
The Steel Strike of 1959 lasted for 116-days by members of the United Steelworkers of America. The strike happened because the steelmakers demanded t the union give up a clause in their contract which would limit managements power to change the number of workers assigned to a job or to establish new work rules or machinery that would reduced hours or the number of employees. The strike ended on November 7, 1959.
