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Section 4
Factory Life -Businesses wanted to make as much money as possible -Low pay, no sick days -Little safety controlàdangerous -Some workplaces were terrible, even for children -Textile mills had kids working 12 hour shifts -Long hours, low pay -Most unskilled males worked 60 hours/week for less than $10/week -Blacks, Mexicans, Asians paid even less -Women & kids paid about ½ -Dangerous working that many hours -In 1881, 30K r.r. workers killed -Sweatshops -Workers tried to improve working conditions -Formed unions
Early Unions -Knights of Labor (1869) -Wanted: 8-hour workday, equal pay, end child labor -Anybody could be a member (“open union”) -American Federation of Labor (AFL) (1886) -Only allowed skilled workers in (“closed union”)
Strikes -Great Upheaval (1886) -Time of intense strikes and violent confrontations -StrikeàRefusing to work until demands are met -1500 strikes across country -Haymarket Riot (1886) -40K Chicago workers went on strike -Homestead Strike (1892) -Carnegie wanted to cut wages at steel factory -Workers refused; union brought in scabs -Fight breaks out (10 dead) -Pullman Strike (1894) -Company cut wages by 25% (bad economy) -Didn’t cut rent it charged workers to live in company housing (company town) -Workers went on strike -Led by Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) -Strike spread throughout country -President Cleveland called up National Guard -Strike holding up mail delivery
Companies Fight Back -Blacklist -Company put union supporters on list -Distributed to other companies -“Do not hire” list -Lockout -Workers barred from company property -Brought in nonunion workers to fill jobs -Yellow-dog contract -Job contract promising not to strike
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