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Noble Order of the Knights of Labor formed.
This Labor union was established from 1869-1900. It was open to farmers, merchants and wage earners. Objectives of it was equal pay for equal work, abolition of child labor, and and 8 hour work day. -
Haymarket Square Riot
This strike was by workers in Chicago who marched for and 8 hour day protest. Police came to break up the strike since it was so out of hand. Somebody brought a bomb, and it killed 8 policeman and injured hundreds. -
American Federation of Labor
This federation was organized around 1886. The AFL focused on better working conditions and better pay. Union labels were then put on produced items to let people know about them. -
"How the Other Half Lives" by Jacob Riis
This was a story made about poor people in the late 1800's. This book made many people aware of the conditions of poor people that lived right next to them. This was the exact effect Jacob Riis had tried to make. -
The Homestead Strike
This strike was run by the Homestead Steel Works in the Pittsburgh area of Homestead. This battle was between private security agents and the workers, and is one of the most serious disputes in US labor history. The end result was a huge defeat for the union. -
The Pullman Strike
The town of Pullman was primarily for workers to rent homes. During the depression, rent prices refused to go down, which resulted in a strike. Railroad workers stopped working which stopped all trains from Chicago to the West Coast. -
Labor Day Holiday Created
This was the establishment of the Holiday called Labor Day. It is used to celebrate the labor working men and women in the past and present. It was created after the labor laws were made to remember those times. -
The Coal Strike
This was a strike run by the United MIne Workers of America in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. They threatened to shut down the winter fuel supply for cities. Theodore Roosevelt suspended the strike, and it wasn't started again. -
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair
This was written by a muckracker named Upton Sinclair. He investigated the meat factories and the living conditions of the workers. The meat factories had terrible working conditions, and this changed them. -
"The Bitter Cry of Children" by John Spargo
This is a book written by John Spargo. It is about the labor that children had to do in the early 1900's. This book helped change the labor laws greatly, so kids don't have to work. -
Pure Food and Drug Act passed
This act was mainly passed because of the horrible conditions of meat factories. It made a federal law that all processed food must be inspected before released to the public. Medicines also have to be inspected. -
Triangle Shirt Factory Fire
This was the deadliest industrial fire in New York History. The workers inside the fire could not escape, since there were locks on the doors. Because of this fire, fire escape doors now have to be established in every public place. -
Congress of Industrial Organization
The Congress of Industrial Organization was a part of the AFL until 1935. It was more focused on organization with industrial rather than craft. It was reintegrated into the AFL in 1955. -
National Labor Relations Act
This act was passed to change the working conditions of labor workers. Labor's right to organize was legally recognized. This was the power to punish unfair labor prices. -
GM sit-down strike
The GM sit-down strike was a strike by General Motors employees. This strike shut down plant operations in Flint, Michigan and other cities. This was a different kind of strike, since they went to work but didn't do anything. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
This act helped regulate the conditions of labor laws. It was passed, because the conditions for childen were so bad. Age limits for working and time limits for working were also made during this act. -
Steel Strike
The Steel Strike was a strike by the United Steelworkers of America. President Harry S. Truman suspended the strike by nationalizing the American steel industry hours before the strike. The strike lasted 53 days, and ended on the same terms four months before. -
Major League Baseball Strike
This was the first baseball player's strike to ever occur. It happened because the players did not feel like they were getting enough wages. Over this strike period, 86 games were missed, and they were never made up. -
New York City Transit Strike
This was a strike called by the Transpot Workers Union Local 100. Almost all transit subways were stopped. Millions of people did not have thier regular transportation during that strike.
