-
General Philadelphia Strike
The strike took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1835. The strike was encouraged by events happening with Construction workers wanting 10 hour work days in Boston, Massachusets. Many employees from many different employers joined the strike for 10 hour days. The strik ended shortly after it started and was a success. -
Knights of Labor Founded
The knights of labor was founded by Uriah Stephens in 1869. Originally, since they were a secret they were able to organize workers on the down low around the nation. They were the largest adn most important labor organization. -
Great Southwest Railroad Strike
This strike consisted of about 200,000 people from Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Texas refusing to work. They went on strike due to unsafe conditions and unfair hours and pay. The strike was unsuccessfuk and the men seperated. -
Battle of Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek in the late 1800's was known for dramatic battles where workers fought to win their rights. Many people were brought to this small town after discovering how much gold it had. From this, 150 mines came about along with a strong miners union, named the Free Coinage Union. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
176 of 500 workers that were mostly women died in a factory fire because of unsafe working conditions. The exits in the factory were locked due to people leaving for bathroom breaks, so the women had no way to escape the fire. The fire and unsafe working conditions caused unions and the nation to push for fundamental reforms -
Ford Raises Wages
The Ford Motor Company raised its basic wage from $2.40 to $5.00 and switched from 9 hour days to 8 hour days on January 5th 1914. This relates to unions because it involved the union of workers, working for Henry Ford. He lowered hours per day and raised pay because the happier his workers were, the happier the customers would be with a product made right with great quality. Workers are known to not work as hard if they are not happy with their job. -
Norris La-Gaurdia Act
The Norris La Gaurdia Act of 1932 was also known as the Anti Junction Bill. The act banned yellow dog contracts. Yellow dog contracts were a pledge by workers saying if they were hired they couldnt join a union. So the Norris La Gaurdia Act couldnt prohibit workers from joining unions. -
Textile Workers Strike
In September of 1934, 400,000 textile workers went on strike. The strike was due to long hours and low wages. It lasted for 20 days and was unsuccesful, no demands were met. Many workers were blacklisted. -
Taft-Hartley Act
The Taft-Hartley Act law was also known as the Labor-Management Relations Act. It was passed in 1947 to help prevent industrail disputes and place employers have equality vs unions. It restircts activities and power of labor unions. -
Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act deals with the funds of unions and the members in them. This Act was passed in 1959 and requires labor organziations to file financial reports. Members of the unions must file reports about certain labor relations for the election of officers. -
U.S. Postal Strike
This strike took place in 1970 with about 210,000 people. It began in New York city and eventually spread across the nation. The postal workers were not happy with wages, working conditions, benefits and management. The strike was successful and things started to be fixed within 2 weeks of the strike start.
