History of Labor in the United States

By thewilhelmfamily

  • National Labor Union

    National Labor Union
    Labor unions were created to protect employee rights and stop exploitation. The members fought together for better pay and working conditions. These unions could be strong enough to create change.

  • Knights of Labor

    Knights of Labor
    It is a member of a 19th century secret labor organization formed in 1869. It was created to secure and maintain the rights of workingmen in respect to their relations to their employers.

  • AFL

    AFL
    People helped to make safe workplaces and give working people a strong voice to address workplace injustices without having to fear retaliation. They fought for social and economic justice and strove to erase oppression in every and all forms.

  • Haymarket Riot

    Haymarket Riot
    This was a violent confrontation between police and labor protesters in Chicago. It became a symbol of the international struggle for workers' rights.

  • Homestead Strike

    Homestead Strike
    This was a gory confrontation that happened between the workers and the hired Pinkerton security guards. It ended up killing 16 people and causing many injuries.

  • Pullman Strike

    Pullman Strike
    This was a widespread railroad strike and boycott that disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States. The federal government's response to this marked the first time that an injunction was used to break a strike.

  • Shirtwaist Factory Fire

    Shirtwaist Factory Fire
    This fire was caused by a cigarette butt or match that had fallen into a bin that was full of fabric scraps and tissue paper. Smoking was forbidden in the factory, but the employees were known to sneak cigarettes in and do it anyway.

  • The Wagner Act

    The Wagner Act
    This act guarantees workers the right of collective bargaining sets down rules to protect unions and organizers. It created the National Labor Relations Board to regulate labor-management relations.

  • Taft Harley

    Taft Harley
    The Taft-Hartley Act outlawed the closed shop, jurisdictional strikes, and secondary boycotts. It also required union officers to sign non-communist affidavits with the government.

  • Steel Strike of 1959

    Steel Strike of 1959
    The Steel strike was one of the most violent labor disputes of the 1930s. It ended without the strikers achieving their main goal which was recognition by the companies of the union as the bargaining agent for the workers.