The Shaping Of The American Labor Movement By William E. Forbath

Labor Unions: Aging Dinosaur or Sleeping Giant? The Labor Movement and Unionism Background and Brief History Higher wages! Shorter workdays! Better working conditions! These famous words echoed throughout the United States beginning in “1790 with the skilled craftsmen” (Dessler, 1997, p. 544). For the last two-hundred years, workers of all trades have been fighting for their rights and “seeking methods of improving their living standards, working conditions, and job security” (Boone, 1996,p.287). As time went by, these individuals came to the conclusion that if they work together collectively, they would grow stronger to get responses to their demands. This inspired into what we know today as labor unions. “A labor union

The chief political issue of the late 1800s was working conditions for laborers. Big businesses, having sought to cut costs however possible, created horrible working conditions for laborers. In an effort to improve these conditions, workers waged strikes and formed labor unions, so that they might gain some semblance of bargaining power. However the fight to improve conditions for workers was largely ineffective thanks to public support of big business, disorganization amongst labor unions, and the negative connotation that came to be associated with labor unions.

Within a transformative decade for Texas workers, the Knights of Labor reached the pinnacle of its influence, failed a railroad strike in 1886 and eventually transformed into an agrarian and mechanics’ organization. (A&M and Reid 2009) The growing influence of the Knights of Labor improved the standing of socialists by extension. In reality, the union was not socialist organization by definition. However, Texas socialists support and political gamesmanship contributed heavily to the growth and development of the Knights of Labor. (Texas A&M University Press 2010) Advocacy for Texas laborers and support for the civil rights movement became the focus of proponents of socialist political policies. Labor strikes and litigation against Texas based businesses routinely failed, illustrating the economic entrenchment of corporations and their accompanying judicial and legislative alliances. As the political clout of the Knights of Labor waned, the weight of political influence regarding

Labor unions play an important role in The Jungle, as they fight against the sick system of exploitation created by corporate power in the stockyards and give hope for a better future to working people. Labor unions are also systematically suppressed in The Jungle as the employers use blacklists, physical force, and their influence in the courts to keep them down. This dynamic in the stockyards is occurring within the broader context of labor history in the United States. Despite the political influence of employer interest groups and consistent attempts at suppression, the labor movement grew and strengthened during the early 20th century, achieving substantial gains in the rights of working people.

The successes and failures of the Knights of Labor, have generated many controversial issues that have helped shape the North American labor movement. They fought for eight-hour day shifts, abolition of child labor, equal pay for equal work, and political reforms, including the graduated income tax in the late 1800s. During this time period, many immigrants were coming to America to find jobs. The Knights affected all sorts of workers from this time period, including skilled and unskilled workers. In the present, a holiday, more equality, and government passed Acts were created thanks to the inspiration of the Knight’s actions. In the late 18 hundreds the Knights of Labor Union affected people’s lives, this including skilled and unskilled workers.

In the period immediately following World War I, American workers struggled to earn a living as prices rose and wages stagnated, forcing them to seek union support. Labor unions endeavored to represent the working class against their employers and corporations, who refused to increase wages or improve working conditions. In order to combat the capitalist’s immense political clout, unions made their voice heard through strikes. After the war, capitalists linked unions to the mounting communist threat, stressing that strikes undermined capitalism and threatened a republican form of government. As a result, government sided with capital against labor unions and the struggle of the American workers, who had no voice against corporations. This struggle can be exemplified in a correspondence between union leader, Samuel Gompers and bishop William Quayle, published in “The Twenties in Contemporary Commentary: Labor & Capital”. The letters demonstrate that in the 1920’s, labor unions were necessary as a means to overcome capitalist greed and enhanced the ideals of democracy by empowering the working class.

The Pullman strike brought to glaring attention the “labor problems” in America and the “labor question” in American politics; the labor problems being the unrest and discontentment of the workers, and the labor problem being the role of the government in business. One of the consequences of the Pullman Strike is that labor reformers began to vigorously search for a way of protecting the interests of the workers in an unfettered capitalist economy. Another consequence is that American workers realized that when they were in bad situations, they would never have the opportunity for improvement unless they orchestrated the government through an overwhelming turnout at different elections. “If workers used the Socialist Party and democratic elections, the power of their numbers would ensure the election of political leaders sympathetic to their cause”.2

From the outside, this looked like a great age for America--an age of progress. However for many, this era of history was not as glamorous as it appeared. The nation was torn between two definitions of freedom: the employer’s idea that freedom was based on property rights that were not regulated by the union’s rule and the worker’s understanding that freedom was economic security and relief from the tyrannical corporations.

Unions were formed to protect and improve the rights of workers. Their first order of business was to establish the eight-hour workday and in 1866, the national labor union was formed. Labor movements were around before 1866, but few organized up until this point. Unions created an environment for workers with difficult tasks, creating better pay, safer work conditions, and sanitary work conditions. Unions made life better for many Americans in the private sector. Collective bargaining became the way in which employers and a group of employees reached agreements, coming to a common consensus. From 1866 to the early 1900’s Unions continued to make headways increasing membership and power. The real gains started in 1933 after several pieces of legislature, which saved banks, plantations, and farmers. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) proposed an important, and controversial, amendment to the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933. It insisted that language from the pro-labor Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 be added to the simple declaration of the right to collective bargaining. The setbacks the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) suffered in Little Steel and textiles in the latter half of 1937, and in Congress from 1938 to 1940, despite the gains made by the AFL, by 1940 the amendment had stalled. WWII created a rapid buildup within the industrial complex, creating more work for women and African Americans, overshadowing the union’s inability to project their power

Although the Progressive Era is often credited as a period of radical change in the U.S., this period was more like a catalyst for radical thought and public organizing in the U.S. The Progressive Era was responsible for emerging social and political movements, but most of the objectives and reforms these movements advocated for were realized years later throughout WWI and the Great Depression. Since the start of our nation, the relationship between labor and liberty has been complicated as the origins and growth of the U.S. economy are deeply intertwined with slavery and the unchecked free market. As a result, creating lasting and enforceable labor reform has been a continuous battle, but one that saw tremendous success in the early to mid-20th

In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, labor was anything but easy. Factory workers faced long hours, low pay, high unemployment fears, and poor working conditions during this time. Life today is much easier in comparison to the late 1800s. Americans have shorter days, bigger pay and easier working conditions. Not comparable to how life is today, many riots sparked, and citizens began to fight for equal treatment. Along with other important events, the Haymarket Riot, the Pullman Strike, and the Homestead strike all play a vital role in illustrating labor’s struggle to gain fair and equitable treatment during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The labor relations movement has been one of the most successful driving forces behind such efforts as: providing aid to workers who were injured or retired, better health benefits and to stop the practice of child labor in the workforce. Ostensibly, unions in the United States arose out of the need to better protect the “common interests” of laborers. Today, many of the social movements and alliances forged are created under the guise to better protect the employer from a plethora of interests made against the organization, rather than, increasing wages, improving reasonable employment hours and/or enhancing work conditions.

This brief history of more than 100 years of the modern trade union movement in the United States can only touch the high spots of activity and identify the principal trends of a "century of achievement." In such a condensation of history, episodes of importance and of great human drama must necessarily be discussed far too briefly, or in some cases relegated to a mere mention.

State Department of Labor as a direct result of pressure from organized labor (MacLaury). Shortly after the creation of the Department of Labor, the Great Recession hit the nation. With the depression came an increased unemployment and lesser wages however significant legislation was also created during that time that impacted union membership. The most significant law was the Fair Labor Standards Act. Following shortly after this FLSA, the United States amended the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Occupations Health and Safety Act of 1970. Although these acts were supported by the power of unions, these acts in particular impact union membership which will be discussed later in the paper. It was at this time in the nation’s history that unions began to see a decline in membership. Unions today cast a wide umbrella of membership and consist of trade unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Laborers International Union of North America to service unions such as the United Food and Commercial Workers. Although their membership has declined, unions that were once affiliated with a defined group skilled labor employees now can be found in almost any industry representing any group of employees.

Since the beginnings of industrialization in the United States, a struggle between the rights of individuals working in industry and manufacturing and the desire of the ownership of these endeavors to maximize profits has raged. As various eras in history passed, labor movements in the United States met with varying degrees of success. The fortunes of labor movements in the United States has ebbed and flowed along with other key factors in American society. In times when human rights and the rights of the individual were national priorities, the labor movement prospered, in times where businesses and profitability were the priority, the labor movement faltered.