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Founding of the Mechanics’ Union of Trade Associations in Philadelphia
Philidephians from all different crafts went on strike to protest long work days, demanding that the work day be reduced to ten hours with no reduction in wages. The Mechanics' Union of Trade Associsations was the first workers' union in America to incorporate workers from different crafts. The workers even developed a newspaper called the Mechanics Free Press. Eventually the efforts of the union were rewarded in 1837 when the City of Philidelphia passed a new law legalizing a ten-hour work day. -
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Fight for Child Labor Laws
In 1836, Massachusetts passed the first law about child labor. It stated that children younger than 15 years old must attend school at least three months per year. This began a series of laws and movements to make better conditions for children or to ban child labor completely. By the 1840s, states began to shorten work days for children. By the 1870s, labor movements like the Working Men's Party start fighting to ban child labor. Finally, in 1938, federal law regulating child labor is passed. -
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The National Labor Union
The National Labor Union was formed in Baltimore, Maryland when a convention of delegates who represented workers met to find ways to achieve the goals of workers. The Union wanted to bring change through legislation, and it worked to limit the workday to eight hours. Unlike other unions, the National Labor Union was opposed to strikes and believed that owners and workers shared common interests. This coalition showed that change could be achieved through diplomatic means. -
Founding of the Knights of Labor in Philadelphia
The Knights of Labor was originally called the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor and was a very secretive society. It was founded by Uriah Stephens, a garment cutter. Eventually, the union grew and became more public, even admitting women in 1882. The Knights of Labor fought for fair work hours and increased pay as well as encouraging the fomation of worker cooperatives. During the late 1800s, the Knights were the largest and most inflential labor organization in America. -
The Martinsburg Strike in Martinsburg, West Virginia
Workers on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company went on strike and would not allow trains to leave Martinsburg until the owners of the Railroad Company removed a 10% pay cut. It took federal troops coming in to the town to end the strike, but by then it had spread to other towns. This mass strike that was sparked by the small Martinsburg Strike was known as the Great Upheaval. -
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The Great Upheaval
This mass strike began with the Martinsburg Strike in West Virginia in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, but it quickly spread to more towns along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, eventually reaching Pennsylvania. The strike even spread to the Midwest thorugh Pittsburgh. It took intervention by the United Atates Army to end the far-reaching strike, and more than 100 people were killed and 1000 imprisoned. This showed the common interests of railroad workers across America. -
The Haymarket Affair in Chicago, Illinois
A meeting of laborers gathered in Haymarket Square in Chicago. When the meeting was almost over, policemen arrived. Someone threw a dynamite bomb that killed a police officer, causing great panic in which six more police and four workers were killed. Eight men associated with labor movements were arrested and tried. They were found guilty by the jury, and five were killed. The other three were pardoned by the governor in 1893, and he condemned the unfair judicial system. -
Founding of the American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was founded by English Jewish cigarmaker Samuel Gompers. Gompers met with leaders of other small unions based on craft to form a loose group of skilled workers' unions. The American Federation of Labor gradually grew to incorporate over 500,000 workers by 1900. It replaced the Knights of Labor as the most influential American labor union. The Federation supported strikes and boycotts in order to secure rights for workers.
