Labor Unions & Big Business

The Knights of Labor
a. Identification The Knights of Labor were a labor union that was made for garment cutters. It then became open to other groups in 1870. The knights let women and African Americans join their union. They wanted everybody to be self emploied because they thought it would be easier. They oposed stikes and people broke away from the group because they wanted to be more violent.
b. Significance They helped give workers an eight hour work day.
The Haymarket riot
a. Identification The Haymarket riot started because the chicago police shot a few people while strikers were attacking strikebreakers. Then the next day the a bomb went off in the strikers area while they were facing off against the police.
b. Significance It made people fear workers. They also feared immagrants. It made private investors set up a military base for protection. Made business owners fear strikers, agreeing to resist strike and purchase strike insurance.
The American Federation of Labor a. Identification The American Federation of Labor was a labor union that concentrated on making agreements between workers and managment of the companies. They used stikes as a tactic. They didn't hire many unskilled workers. It was divided into crafts. The AFL avoided parties and helped all workers.
b. Significance The AFL also tryed to help workers with increasing pay while decreasing hours.
Samuel Gompers
a. Identification Samuel Gompers was a cigar maker who led the Cigar Makers' International Union to combine with other unions of crafts.
b. Significance Leader of the AFL who helped workers get better par and less hours but did it regardless of their party.
The Homestead strike
a. Identification The Homestead strike started because of pay cuts. The president pf the company hired armed guards and things got ugly. Then the state milita got involved. The strike lasted to November but they had lost support and surrendered to the company.
b. Significance The significance was that because of this failed strike the steel workers union took a long time to strike again. Around 45 years.
the Pullman strike
a. Identification The Pullman Strike was a strike over the wage cuts at the Pullman Palace car company near Chicago. The owner Pullman cut wages but didn't cut rent of houses. This made workers angry because they could barely afford the rent as is.
b. Significance The Pullman Strike showed that the government didn't really care about the little guy becasue they sided with the corporations.
Eugene V. Debs
a. Identification Eugene V. Debs tried to form a union for railroad workers called the American Railway Union. Got arrested for helping the Pullman strike.
b. Significance He tried to help and was punished. This shows that it takes more than one union to make a change.
The Industrial Workers of the World a. Identification The Industrial Workers of the World was a labor union for industrial workers and accepted African-Americans. It accepted the ideas of socialism. Aproved the use of violence and sabatage.
b. Significance The IWW used violent tatics which brought the hammer of the government down upon them in a little amount of time. It showed that violence isn't the answer.