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Gompers founds AFL
Following the Haymarket Square Riot, Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL is a collection of trade unions that were really important during the Labor Movement. Under Gompers' leadership, the AFL became the largest and most influential labor federation in the world. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
First measure passed by the U.S. Congress to prohibit trusts. It was meant to prevent monopolies, but it was written in broad words and was difficult to interpret. It affected unions because it banned boycotts and several other activities made by the unions. -
Homestead Strike
The dispute was between Carnegie Steel Company and the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (strongest union of the time). The company increased production demands making the workers go on strike. The leader of the company sent Pinkertons guards, but the Pinkertons were attacked and had to surrendered. Several strikers and Pinkertons wer killed or injured. -
The Pullman Strike
Nationwide railroad strike and boycott. The company, Pullman Palace Car Company, reduced wages, but did not did reductions in rents and other charges where most of its workers lived. The workers asked the American Railway Union (ARU) to help them, and they decided not to handle any Pullman cars until an agreement was made; however before that happened an injunction was created. -
Great Anthracite Coal Strike
A strike created by the United Mine Workers of America to gain higher wages, shorter workdays and the recognition of their union. The strike threatened to cut the winter fuel supply of all major cities making the government act as a neutral arbitrator to the dispute for the first time. The strike ended when the workers received a 10% wage increase and reduced workdays from ten to nine hours and accepted not having their union recognized. -
Federal Department of Labor is established
It was signed reluctantly by President William Howard Taft in 1913. It was included due to the half century campaign by labor workers to have someone to represent them. It is meant to improve working conditions, and increase the opportunities and welfare of the workers. -
Ludlow Massacre
It took place at the mines of the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Mineworkers went on strike to gain better working conditions. The camps were they lived were pelted with machine gun fire and ultimately torched by the state militia, many people died. -
The Norris-La Guardia Act
Employers couldn't forbid employees from joining a union. It banned yellow-dog contracts (contracts were workers promised not to enter a union). Restricted the use of court injunctions on boycotts, picketing, and strikes. -
The Wagner Act
Workers right to form unions and strike was protected. It created the National Labor Relationships Board (NLRB). Was meant to prevent the violent confrontations between union supporters and anti-union people. -
CIO Splits from AFL
The separation was caused by arguments about the methods of organizing large industries.There were two ideas about hos to organize the unions: the craft unionism (represent skilled workers defending the advantages they had secured through their skills and exclude less skilled workers from membership) and the industrial unionism (represent all of the production workers in a particular industry, rather than divided them by their crafts). They would later merge back together as AFL-CIO in 1955. -
Kennedy Legalizes Public Employee Unions
It allowed federal employees to organize, join unions, and bargain collectively with the government, but were not allowed to strike. It was important for public sector workers, who were not protected under the 1935 Wagner Act. It set the stage for other presidents to expand on it.
