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Formation of the Knights of Labor
The group the Knights of Labor was founded in Philadelphia by Uriah Stevens. This group would become an important advocate for workers rights in the United States. It was originally founded to protect workers from retribution from employers. part of what made this group unique was their dedication to all laborers not just artisans or factory workers. In the beginning the group was kept a secret, but would eventually grow and become well known. -
Creation of the National Labor Union
The Nation Labor Union was the first success labor union in the United States. The NLU was significant because it aimed to improve working conditions through changes in legislature as opposed to collective bargaining like groups before it. The NLU held a convention in Baltimore with the intention of changing legislature to limit the work day to eight hours. They used legal action instead of strikes to create change for workers. -
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
During the depression that began in 1873, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cut the pay of its workers for the second time. This sparked a strike in West Virginia which inspired several other strike in the northeast. Workers at a station in Martinsburg disconnected trains and held them captive claiming that until the pay cut was rescinded the trains would not be allowed to leave the station. The strike spread to other railway companies, in the end 100 peole were killed and many others were jailed. -
Formation of the American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was formed by Samuel Gomper in 1886. Gomper's views were much less radical than the views of the Knights of Labor and the NLU. The AF of L was made up of groups of skilled workers' unions. Gomper kept the group in the good graces of the American public and the government. He became known as the leader of the labor movement in the late 1800s. The group led strikes and became a force of 500,000 people at its peak. -
Haymarket Square Riot
The Haymarket Square Riot began as a rally organized by redical labor rights organizers to protest the killing of workers by police in Chicago during a strike. During this time a group of radical labor rights activists who believed that the capitalist system should be replaced. During the rally a bomb was thrown at police, killing several of them. Radical organizers were convicted though there was no proof, this led to public backlash. This riot contributed to the end of the Knights of Labor. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust act is named after John Sherman, an Ohio senator who contributed to the act. The goal of the Sherman Antitrust Act was to prevent businesses from having complete control over a part of the market. This would hopefully support a competitive market and protect consumers. Unfortunately, the act was used against labor and trade unions. Employers could use the act to impede unions. -
Homestead Strike
The Homestead Strike pitted the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers against the Carnegie Steel Company. The strike became violent when 300 guards were brought in by the plant manager and a fight between the people on strike and the guards ensued. Several people died and many were arrested. The strike inspired some workers to fight poor conditions, but the longer hours and lower pay instituted by Carnegie Steel afterwards shows how difficult it was to fight a large company. -
Pullman Strike and Boycott
The Pullman Strike was a strike and boycott that stopped railway traffic in the Midwest during June and July in 1894. This was the first time that a strike was broken by the government with an injunction. Because of the strike then president Grover Cleveland created Labor Day to recognize the labor movement. In the end the strike was largely a failure, but this strike showed the power of organized workers.
