-
First Union of Women Working
Women from the Lowell mill organized and went on strike and created the first union of working women in American history. The women at the mill were working 13 hour days and their wages were cut, so they decided to fight back. -
Great Southwest Railroad Strike
Workers refused to work due to unsafe conditions, hours and pay. Other railroad unions failed to commit to the protest. Other nonunion workers were hired and their strike slowly dissolved. -
Haymarket Riot
Industrial workers were rioting to advocate for shorter working hours. Eight people were killed due to a bomb thrown into the crowd. It was a major setback for the labor movement. -
Homestead Strike
It was a strike to protest the longer hours and lower wages. It demonstrated the difficulty for union members to prevail against the government and major corporations. The longer hours and lower wages was instituted even after their efforts. -
Pullman Strike
Thousand of workers under George Mortimer Pullman went on strike because of the way Mr. Pullman treated his workers. Working conditions were bad and resulted in injury and even death, the company laid off workers and lowered wages, but that only worsened the anger of the employees. This was the first time that an injunction was used to break a strike, and in response, president Cleveland created a national holiday called labor day as a gesture toward the American labor movement. -
Industrial Workers of the World
They inspired generations of labor activists. They want to overcome the divisions of race, religion, sex, and nationality. More women were seen to be working in factories, and made the workplace more diverse. They took on the Klu Klux Klan. -
Norris-Laguardia Act
Outlawed pledges by workers to not join the labor union. It imposed strict laws against strike activity. It was the first federal labor law to support organize labor. It was a significant victory in labor reform. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
This affected the private and public sector worker, and federal, state, and local governments. It establishes their minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor laws. It does not require vacation sick, or holiday pay. -
National Labor Relations Act
This law guarantees basic rights of private sector employees to organize into trade union. It engages in collectively bargaining for better working conditions. Also, it allows groups to riot. -
Bituminous Coal Strike
400,000 bituminous coal workers went to strike for safer working conditions health benefits, and pay. The union refused president Truman's proposal. The union workers were fined $3.5 million dollars, forcing an agreement and the strike ceasing.
