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Summary Civil Rights in the USA (): Trade Unions
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All key knowledge pertaining to trade unions and labour rights in the USA between 1865 and 1992.
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Unions in the late nineteenth century:- The growth in industrialisation witnessed a growth in unions, notably the Knights of Labor
(KOL) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
- The KOL reached a membership of 700,000 by 1886 because of successful strike action,
but membership fell following the violence of the Haymarket Affair and social divisions
within the workforce.
- The position of workers became undermined by the availability of African American labour
after slavery ended (as AAs were paid less), the arrival of European immigrants, and then
by the Homestead Strike of 1892 and Pullman Strike of 1894.
- By WWI, little had been achieved. Unions represented only 20% of the non-agricultural
workforce and were divided by ethnicity, skill and gender. Despite this, union membership
had grown to over 2 million members by 1910.
The Gilded Age, 1870-1890:
- Workers were able to make concessions with the growth in demand for workers as America
industrialised. There was also increased demand for unions, particularly among unskilled
workers, whose numbers soared with mass production and the development of heavy
industry. Though progress was slow, union membership grew to 500,000 by 1900.
- Craft unions also saw these developments as a threat to their position and were unwilling
to allow unskilled workers to join their unions, creating a divided labour movement.
Unskilled workers were often unable to gain recognition or rights.
- The Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 1890, was passed where the government intervened to
restrict monopolies, by which larger companies were able to control trade. This went
against the usual policy, but the government was concerned about companies controlling or
stopping trade.
Pullman Strike, 1894:
- This was a nationwide railroad strike that started because the Pullman company cut wages
by a quarter and made a third of the workforce redundant during an economic depression.
- The government supported the employers, first with an injunction, which stopped anyone
interfering with the movement of mail. President Cleveland sent federal troops to break the
strike, then the Supreme Court legalised the use of injunctions, which declared the strike
illegal.
- It issued the Omnibus Indictment Act to prevent strikers and workers trying to persuade
others to strike.
The Supreme Court and Lochner v. New York, 1905:
- The Supreme Court continued to reject workers’ rights. In Lochner v. New York, it did not
uphold legislation to limit the number of hours a baker could work, as it argued this would
restrict terms of employment.
- This policy continued into the 1930s with Coppage v. Kansas, 1915, and Adkins v.
Children’s Hospital, 1923, and the declaration in 1935 that the NIRA was unconstitutional.
Unions in the twentieth century:
- The Industrial Workers of the World:
- Set up in Chicago in 1905, the organisation had a reputation for violence and
therefore employers regarded it with suspicion.
- Its membership peaked at around 100,000 members in 1923 who were mainly
western miners, lumbermen, fruit pickers, e.c.t…
- Also known as the ‘Wobblies’, their use of violence and sabotage meant they faced
constant harassment through arrests and prosecutions by government officials.
- By 1924, divisions were occurring within the leadership of the union and, as a
result, its strength was broken.
- A. Philip Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids (BSCP):
- The Pullman Company was one of the largest employers of African American in
the 20s and 30s.
, - 500 porters met in Harlem on 25 August 1925, they chose A. Philip Randolph was
their leader and tried to organise a union. The Pullman Company responded by
denouncing the new union as an agency promoted by foreign ideologies and
sponsored its own company Union.
WWI to the end of WWII:
- WWI:
- The position of unions improved during WWI, as there was increased demand for
production - for example, steel - to help with the war. Union membership increased
between 1916 and 1920 from 2.7 million to 5 million.
- Factory owners were more conciliatory and the government, wanting to maintain
production, established the National War Labor Board (NWLB). This limited each
working day to eight hours and guaranteed workers the right to join unions in return
for no-strike policy.
- To maintain production during WWI, the government passed the Clayton Antitrust
Act, which limited the use of injunctions and allowed peaceful picketing, but they
did not act to stop employers reducing wages or laying workers off.
- The economic boom during the 1920s resulted in a rise in real wages (by 20%)
and employers offered workers’ benefits (welfare capitalism). However, some
companies set up their own unions and forced workers to sign yellow-dog
contracts.
- WWII:
- As with WWI, improvements in unions and labour rights continued during WWII
because workers were essential for war production.
- The economic boom after WWII saw real wages rise (by 70%) and workers buying
more consumer goods.
- Rising prosperity meant many were not interested in union activity. Though,
between 1940 and 1945, union membership increased from 8.9 million to 14.8
million.
- The end of the war saw a number of strikes and the position of unions declined
because they were deemed too powerful. Unions also suffered because of the
decline of blue-collar workers. Those employed in new, high-tech industries were
less likely to join unions. Some workers in the service industries and government
sector were forced to sign non-union agreements. The increasing number of
working women also damaged union membership as women showed less interest
in joining.
- To ensure production, the government reestablished the NWLB (National War
Labor Board) which virtually took over control of industry.
- The Republican midterm election victory in 1946 witnessed a change in attitude
towards unions, with many believing unions had gained too much. Their power was
reduced with the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Unions were also viewed with suspicion
during the Red Scare, with many believing they were hotbeds of communism.
- The two world wars brought only temporary gains for workers. Employers as well as the
government sought to reverse the gains at the earliest opportunity.
Roosevelt and the New Deal (1933-39):
- Roosevelt’s presidency (1933-45) saw the most help for workers from an administration. To
combat high levels of unemployment it brought in legislation to get workers back to work,
stop industrial unrest, and give workers the right to organise unions and take part in
collective bargaining.
- Legislation also closed shops, prevented companies from using blacklists, and established
a minimum wage.
- This was done through the:
- National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA), 1933
- Wagner Act 1935: The Act was the first piece of national legislation that
recognised the right of workers to elect their own representatives to take part in
collective bargaining with employers and therefore was a landmark in the
development of US labour rights.
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