Common Problem:
During Industrial Revolution, business owners were taking advantages of the workers. They give them low wages, bad working conditions, long working hours, and they even use child labor.
Solution:
Labor Union!!!
Samuel GompersGompers sought to build the labor movement into a force powerful enough to transform the economic, social and political status of America's workers. He had three principles which help him to reach his goal. First, he advocated craft or trades unionism, which restricted union membership to wage earners and grouped workers in to locals based on their trade or craft identification. Second, he believed in a pure-and-simple unionism that focused primarily on economic rather than political reform as the best way of securing workers' rights and welfare. Third, later in his life, he argued that the best way of enhancing the political leverage of labor was to articulate an independent political agenda, seek the endorsement of existing political parties for the agenda and mobilize members to vote for those supporting labor's agenda.1
ompers lead worker's strike to make his reform happen. Successfully negotiated wage increases and enhanced workplace safety for workers.3
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Terence PowderlyHe promoted strong pro-labor attitudes. He advocated an eight hour day, fair pay, and argued that Sunday should be observed as a non-work day because it is the Sabbath. He also sought to reduce the disparity and inequality between the rich and the poor throughout his career. Powderly continually sought to increase the power of labor by starting work stoppages. He broke all kinds of old traditions such as not employ little kids in factories and pay women the same amount of money as man. Under his work, Knights of Labor's number of workers has grown from 80,000 to 700,000. The increasing power of Knights of Labor influenced the power of labor in the United States.2
Addressed key issues such as opposition to child labor and demands for an eight-hour day.4 |
Effectiveness & Consequences:
The amount of workers in Knights of Labor had increased dramatically, but many other unions all complained that the Knights of Labor did not respect union strikes and boycotts and accepted as members workers who had been expelled or suspended from their trade unions. Powderly accused the trade unions of trespassiong on Knights of Labor turf. These charges and countercharges set the tone for a bitter struggle that spurred trade unionists to found the American Federation of Labor, which Gompers help as president for 40 years.5 Unions grew a lot in size and status even though the business owners still had control over the government. There were over 20,000 strikes in America in the last two decades of the 19th century. Overall, Labor Unions had played a important role solving the conflict between business owners and workers during Industrial Revolution.6
1. "Samuel Gompers (1850-1924)." AFL-CIO America's Unions. AFL-CIO, 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-People-in-Labor-History/Samuel-Gompers-1850-1924>.
2. Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Pennsylvania State University, 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Powderly__Terence.html>.
3. "The History of Labor Unions & Fight for Fairness at Work." UnionPlus. Union Privilege, 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.unionplus.org/about/labor-unions/history-origin>.
4. Ibid.
5."The Samuel Gompers Papers." Department of History. University of Maryland, 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.history.umd.edu/Gompers/KOL.htm>.
6."American Federation of Labor." U.S. History. ushistory.org, 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/37d.asp>.
2. Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Pennsylvania State University, 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Powderly__Terence.html>.
3. "The History of Labor Unions & Fight for Fairness at Work." UnionPlus. Union Privilege, 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.unionplus.org/about/labor-unions/history-origin>.
4. Ibid.
5."The Samuel Gompers Papers." Department of History. University of Maryland, 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.history.umd.edu/Gompers/KOL.htm>.
6."American Federation of Labor." U.S. History. ushistory.org, 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/37d.asp>.