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The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution is the time period when people began using machines. This created many factory jobs, most being unsafe and didn't have fair wages. This caused a need for labor unions. -
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The Civil War
This war was fought between the North and South United States of America over slavery. During the war women had to fill the positions men previously held. After the war the cost of living raised, large corporations rose, and wages decreased causing the need for unions to skyrocket. -
Great Southwest Railroad Strike
This was a labor union strike involving more than 200,000 workers. Railroad workers in five states struck against the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads. As a result of this strike ten people died and it led to the collapse of the Knights of Labor and the formation of the American Federation of Labor -
Haymarket Square Riot
This started as a labor protest rally near Chicago's Haymarket Square, but turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at the police. At least eight people died that day as a result of the violence. This was viewed as a setback for the organized labor movement in America. -
The Pullman Strike
This was a nationwide railroad strike in the United States. It pitted the American Railway Union against the Pullman Company. This was a turning point for the US labor law -
Ludlow Massacre
This started as the Colorado Coal strike. Eleven thousand miners in southern Colorado that worked for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Corporation went on strike against low pay and dangerous conditions. This resulted in the workers being evicted from their shacks and gunmen coming in to try to break the strike up. -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world. During the depression the number of people in unions dropped by 2 million people. In this tough time the future of labor unions looked grim but their fortunes soon changed. -
The Wagner Act passed
The Wagner Act protects workers rights form unions and strike. Now because of this act an employer couldn't deny someone a job because they were in a union. They could now also strike without retaliation against it. -
The Fair Labor Standards Act passed
This act established the minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor laws. With this act workers had fair working conditions and good pay. Because of this act labor unions weren't needed as much. -
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World War 2
This war was fought between the axis powers and the allies, it was started because Hitler invaded Poland. Again during this war a lot of men were gone fighting so women had to fill their positions in factories. Unions were needed during this time because there were a lot of factory jobs to supply the soldiers. -
The Taft-Hartley Act passed
This act made it so employees had the right to refrain from participating in a union or mutual aid activities except that they could be required to become members in a union as a condition of employment. This act had some similar things to the Wagner Act such as prohibiting secondary boycotts. This act also prohibited from charging excessive dues, initiation fees, and featherbedding.
