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Samuel Gompers
Samuel was a British-born American and a cigar maker. He founded the American Federation of Labor where he promoted collective bargaining to ensure fair employee-employer relationships. He fought for shorter hours, safer working conditions, and higher wages. He developed the strategies of American unions and also lead large strikes such as the Cigar Factory Strike and the Nationwide General Strike. -
Homestead Strike
This was a dispute in 1892 between the Carnegie Steel Company and their workers over attempts to break the union, lower wages, and unjustly fire people. It eventually got very violent to the point where the company hired people to open gunfire on the workers. The company's reactions to the striking of the workers ruined Andrew Carnigies reputation. The strike wasn't very successful and most of the workers never regained their jobs. -
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs was the leader of the American Railway Union where he advocated for workers rights. He was also a helper in the Pullman Strike which was a nationwide rail way strike that severally effected railway traffic. Debs was also a 5 time candidate for POTUS in the socialist party. -
Mary Harris Jones
Jones, nicknamed Mother Jones, was a labor organizer who fought for workers rights. She endured many hardships throughout her life, but still, as she travel she organized Union Mine Workers and even got her own slogan "Join the Union boys". She was labeled the most dangerous woman in America. She was a giant child labor and even led the March of the Mill Children. She is remembered today and the most prominent female labor activist. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
March 25 1911 there was a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. This was a factory with mainly women in it. There were not any valid safety precautions there causing 146 women to die because they were locked upstairs and couldn't leave. There were many safety hazards in the building such as a barrel of oil blocking the way out as well as broken fire escapes. The owners were not charged with breaking any policies because their were no real fire safety policies set at the time. -
Great Railroad Strike of 1922
This was a strike among many railroad workers whose wages were being cut by the Railroad Labor Board. These strikes eventually turned violent, strikebreakers had to be hired. At least ten people ended up dead along with many injuries. The result of these event was monetary losses in millions that the nation suffered from. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
While King was remembered most prominently for his fight for equality among races, he was also a fighter for labor rights. He advocated for desegregation in the workplace and the union. He believed that unions were Americas first anti-poverty program. He believed that the needs of people of color were the same as the needs of laborers. He supported the black sanitation strike and spoke at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations convention -
Cesar Chavez
Chavez was an American civil rights activist who fought for labor rights specifically in the agricultural industry. He founded the National Farm workers Association which fought for farm workers rights through nonviolent protests such as boycotts and strikes. Him fighting for humane and fair workplaces inspired people all across the country and helped people fight non violently, an example of this was the Delano Grape Strike that he lead. -
The Great Postal Strike of 1970
These postal workers were forbidden to strike. They were paid wages that were unlivable. Eventually congress gave them a 5.4 percent increase but this was barely anything, it made the workers mad. So, they decided to have 200,000 workers walk off the job. Armed forces had to be dispatched to deliver the mail. Eventually after bargain they were given an 8 percent increase. -
Radium Girls Tragedies
The use of radium in consumer products ended in 1968. Radium girls refers to the young women working in factories where they painted watches with radium infused paint. This gave many of these women radiation pointing leading to lifelong problems and event in some cases death. These women fought for about 40 years in legal battles for compensation. -
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