Workers

Labor Time Line

By hkluver
  • Noble Order of the Knights of Labor was formed

    Noble Order of the Knights of Labor was formed
    This was organized by Philadelphia garment wokers in 1869. It made sure you had equal pay for equal work and it ended child labor. They created the 8 hour work day.
  • "How The Other Half Lives"

    "How The Other Half Lives"
    This was a story about how people lived in New York City. Although the story was published in 1890, it was about how people lived in 1880. It showed how unsafe and unclean New Yorkers lived.
  • Labor Day was created

    Labor Day was created
    It is a day that is dedicated to the American workers. The first Labor Day was September 5, 1882 in just New York. By 1885, it spread so that many companies in the country celebrated Labor Day.
  • AFL

    AFL
    AFL stands for American Federation of Labor. It's main goal was to get better working conditions and better pay. It was organized in 1886.
  • Haymarket Square Riot

    Haymarket Square Riot
    The workers in Chicago marched during their 8 hour day. They were protesting the McComick Harvesting machine. When police can the break up the strike, Anarchists bombed the square and killed 8 policemen. 100 others were injured.
  • Homestead Strike

    Homestead Strike
    It was one of the most serious disputes in US labor history. It happened in Pittsburgh,PA between Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company. It ended with the union losing.
  • The Pullman Strike

    The Pullman Strike
    George M. PUllman built a company town where his workers could rent homes and live there. George raised the price of rent but didn't raise their wages. Workers went on strike and in a couple of days, railroad workers in 27 different states were on strike.
  • The Coal Strike

    The Coal Strike
    It was a strike by the coal workers in eastern Pennsylvania. It threatened to shut down the supply of coal for heat for the winter. President Roosevelt came in and it was the first labor episode when the government intervened as the natural arbitrator.
  • "The Jungle"

    "The Jungle"
    "The Jungle" was written by Upton Sinclair in 1905. He wanted to show how careless people were when it came to sanity in the meat market. Some things that he saw was rats, already dead cattle, and moldy sausaged.
  • "The Bitter Cry of Children"

    "The Bitter Cry of Children"
    John Spargo wrote this book in 1906. He took the work of a 12 year old boy that got paid 60 cents a day. He said it was very gloomy and his back started to hurt after a while because he was hunched over all day.
  • Pure Food and Drug Act passed

    Pure Food and Drug Act passed
    The US made sure that food was inspected before being sold. It also inspected medicines and alterated food. It was created in 1906.
  • Triangle Factory Fire

    Triangle Factory Fire
    Managers locked all of the doors so that the workers couldn't skip their shifts. When the fire started, 146 workers died from the fire or jumped out the window. Most of the workers were Jewish or Italian women immigrants.
  • Congress of Industrial Organization

    Congress of Industrial Organization
    The Congress of Industrial Organization was a part of the AFL until 1935. It broke away because it liked industrial lines better than craft lines. It came back the the AFL in 1955.
  • The National Labor Relations Act passed

    The National Labor Relations Act passed
    It was for labor. It had the power to punish any unfair jobs. It was created in 1935 and the National Labor Relations Board was created.
  • GM Sit-down Strike

    GM Sit-down Strike
    It was the first ever sit down strike. A sit down strike is when you go to work, but you don't work, you just sit there. This showed the public how effective these types of strikes are. It shut down General Motors for 3 months.
  • Fair Labor Standards Act passed

    Fair Labor Standards Act passed
    The Federal Regulation of Child Labor also created the Fair Labor Standards Act. The minimum ages and hours that you can work at were controlled by the federal government. This was the first time ever.
  • The Steel Strike

    The Steel Strike
    The steel workers having a strike to get more pay. The strike lasted exactly 53 days. The steel companies sued to get control of their facilities.
  • The Major League Baseball Strike

    The Major League Baseball Strike
    It was the first strkie in Major League Baseball history. It took place from April 1, 1972-April 13, 1972, In 13 days, 86 games were missed and never made up. The players ended the strike when they got a $500,000 increase in pension.
  • New York City Transit Strike

    New York City Transit Strike
    The strike was by the Transport Workers Union Local 100 (TWU). The tried negotiating for a new contract that raised retirement, pension, and wage increases. They lost and went on strike. Millions were people were affected by the dramatic decrease in transportation.