Rise Of The U.s. Labor Movement

During the late 1800’s America became involved in a large labor movement that would shape history. As America was becoming more industrialized, the need for workers increased overnight. “The workplace was changing as machines became common and the demand for unskilled workers brought new groups into the workforce including immigrants, women, and children” (Aboukhadijeh). The desperation from both employees and employers brought awareness to working conditions. Employees desired better working conditions, increased wages, and decreased working hours. Communicating with employers proved to be futile and fueled union movements. Union members would go on strike to force companies to meet their demands. Sometimes it would work and when it didn’t, companies would lock out employees and bring in new workers to do the job. These actions led to violent protests, riots, and arrests. The Pinkertons were hired as security by companies during these trying times. “Toward the end of the 19th century, the agency became more involved in labor disputes, always on the side of management” (Crawford). The Pinkertons were labeled as villains by workers as blood was shed during these conflicts.

The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the interest of workers. For those in the industrial area, organized labor unions struggled fighting for better wages, reasonable hours and much safer working conditions. The labor movement fought to stop child labor, give better health benefits and provide help to workers who were injured and/or retired.

During the Progressive Era of the Gilded Age, many laborers were being mistreated by the companies that they worked for. Because of this, workers started forming labor unions or organized association of workers, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. Many of these labor unions failed, while few of them achieved their goals and still exist today. Many factors contributed to the failure of these labor unions. The labor unions were given a bad image, the reason for this was the media, and they did this by publishing articles depicting the unions as violent, communist groups. The government supported big business during this time, since the government had a lot of power; this was a huge setback in the labor unions’ battles.

The Labor Movement’s number one concern is to address problems associated with social inequality. The labor movement was created in order to fight for the rights of labor workers. The goal was to have better wages, safe working conditions, and reasonable working hours. Unions were formed in order to achieve this. However, this was always enough. Workers reached a point where they came together and participated in strikes which the main goal was to have their employers listen to them and come to an agreement.

Imagine your parents died at work when you were a young child, and your family was in poverty. This happened all of the time in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s because of the lack of rights for workers. It was the job of many early labor unions of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s make working conditions for workers better. Early labor unions such as the Knights of Columbus, the American Federation of Labor, and the National Labor Union were all successful in creating rights for workers and making working conditions better. There are many ways that labor unions have affected modern day society.

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.

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 labor Union movement played a big impact during the late 1800’s that we as American’s have benefitted from still to this day. The idea is basic: better working conditions, better compensation for the work being done. Up to this timeframe, farming was a primary source of subsistence as well as finance for many typical American households. However as the Country grew and industry began it’s reign on the American economy, many of these former farmers and their children took to working for a salary. Unfortunately, as seems to be a trend within history, the people that control the money tend to treat their employees with little regard until someone steps in to speak up for these workers.

The labor union movement over the years has shaped the way individuals work and live for both the nicest and unpleasant. Some would think the unions influence has created a power struggle between management and union leaders. In today’s time, some citizens insist the existence of unions are a must to aid in employee freedom, while others view the labor unions as just another problem in the line of progress. The purpose of labor unions was for employed workers to come together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War- responding to the industrial economy. Surprisingly at the least unions became popular within the 1930-50’s and began to slowly decrease,

The Labor Movement was necessary to protect the common interest of workers. The state of working environments during the Industrial Revolution produced a mandate for this movement. The Industrial Revolution served as a turning point for all western nations because of the influx of businesses and factories. America generally benefited from the revolution; however, it was at the expense of the workers. Industries were only interested in profit so workers were generally underpaid, worked long hours, and in unsafe conditions. Working conditions during the revolution were generally dreadful. And since there were copious amounts of people willing to work for any compensation, employers could set wages as low as they wanted. Labor unions arose because there were many who disagreed with how big businesses ran. A prime objective of labor unions is to make sure its members are paid fairly. Labor activists believe that employees and the company share its successes and that they should be rewarded for its productivity. Labor unions want to improve working conditions for their members. They demand reasonable working days along with safe working environments. Also, labor unions provide more than just job security and safety services. These services include provision of education and training to inform union members of their employment rights and to improve their basic skills. Labor unions are a group of employees who organize to provide a balance in negotiations between management and the

Labor Unions were and still are an essential element in today’s businesses. In earlier years, labor unions aided employees by serving as the main voice to their employer. Today, the struggle continues as labor unions help workers by ensuring their voices are heard, their rights are upheld, their pay and benefits are fair and by eliminating injustices. In order to understand what lies ahead for the future state of labor unions, it is important to recognize its history, but also understand current challenges faced that will likely shape the future.

There are several reasons labor unions was formed in the United States. First, the worker form the union to fight the employer’s practice division of labor and unfair hiring that which employer divided skilled worker into teams, hire them to do part of the job then hire women and children at extreme low wages to do other parts. Second, if worker was injured on the job there was no compensation and the employee was deemed to be fault. Third, the working condition was poor and unsafe. Fourth, the workers receive low pay and long working hour with lack of benefit. Fourth, the workers believe there is strength in number, it will help them fulfill their demands.

The topic of labor unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor unions are organizations that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further their rights and interests. Labor unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade, these numbers have drastically decreased. Resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees and companies. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more

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.

Labor Unions have become an important factor in our industries. For many years, labor unions have served as the main voice of the workers to their employers. The continuous effort of labor unions in helping the laborers ensure their rights in their jobs, acquire all the benefits they need and to eliminate the injustice experienced by workers in their workplace is still an ongoing process. In order to understand labor unions in general, knowing the roots of it is the best way to start. In this paper, the progress of the labor unions throughout history, the issues faced the developments it achieved, laws passed and the problem faced by today’s unions will be tackled.