How Did The Labor Movement Play In The Progressive Movement?

Unionizing gave the people a voice and greater support amongst

Before the structured labor society that we live in today, America was a very different working world; one plagued with injustice and grievances from workers across the job sectors. Two organizations, the Knights of Labor and later the American Federation of Labor acted as activists for reform and demanded better standards for working, living, and life for workers. Their strategies and success in achieving their goals were as different as the organizations themselves. Coming from a time of segregation and social divide, the Knights of Labor stood out as one of the most accepting labor unions of the age, which largely accounted for their membership to reach almost 800,000 members during its peak. All workers in a trade were included, regardless of their skill level.

Labor and the US Government from 1890-1945 A key aspect of this nation’s history lies in the ever-shifting relationship between its government and its common man, most specifically its labor workers. This relationship plays a crucial role in the understanding of the changes that took place in America between 1890 and 1945. The changing relationship between government and labor workers in the United States between 1890 and 1945 demonstrates a period of unrest and a transitional period in which the focus shifted towards the working class as a result of the greed and corruption of 19th century business elite , as can be seen in the labor strikes requiring government intervention of the late 19th century, the progressives of the early 20th century

With the workers unions, things would look very different today which is why the American workforce changes are

On May 11, 1894 a widespread strike lead by railroad workers brought business to a complete cessation; only willing to discontinue until the federal government took unprecedented action to end the strike. The Pullman Strike began “as a peaceful labor protest against a single Chicago employer (54)”, and later ended up “into a national labor boycott of more than twenty railroads and then into a violent confrontation between the federal government, the railroad companies, and American workers (55.)” With the “mix of employer resistance, government aggression, worker bitterness, and general economic desperation (54)”, the Pullman Strike presented questions towards the “rights of employers and workers in an industrialized democracy and about the role

(Document A) These rich businessmen also hated the idea of unions, and even insulted them because they wanted to extend hours with less pay, the opposite of what the unions wanted. An example of one of these businessmen insulting the unions was Henry Clay Frick, president of Carnegie Steel in 1892 who said “...I will never recognize the union, never, never” (Document D) These problems still aren’t fully solved today, there are still wealthy business owners that blame the poor for being poor, and dislike labor

Based on our group’s research, we believe that the labor movement in the 1820s in the United States during the Jacksonian Democracy was a major factor in the implementation of many of the laws and better working conditions that are present in today’s society. As we have learned and presented to the class, this labor movement in the 1820s grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers and to improve their overall working conditions. We currently see the results of these labor unions that were formed in the 1820s whenever we enjoy the luxury of having our weekends off from work and having the opportunity to miss work, also known as “sick leave”, when we are ill. We now have an established minimum wage and legally, no one is forced

The National Labor Union and the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor feed the laboring class the ideas about how they could improve there

An in depth analysis of the factors that led to the rise of labor unions in the United States only reveals that the basic need and the primary objective of the workering people was to secure economic and legal protection from their exploiting employers. The origins of the

The Populist Party otherwise called the People’s Party was founded before the Civil War, the party consists of farmers, laborers, and socialists, where most of the populist came from the South and the West. The party adopted a system to change the debt-stricken way how the farmers, support the laborers and the shortening of workdays for the industrial workers and a few types of reforms, for example the right to referendums, recall and female suffrage, which many farmers and workers believed that the Populist Party was a voice for their anger and a gross for inequality and injustice in the American society. In the meantime, Labor 's efforts to organize and collectively bargain with the trusts were systematically suppressed. All these things

The feeling, shown in Nast's illustration after the railroad strike of 1877, that amalgamations simply lead to more " communistic values" and general uniformity made it very arduous to genuinely get anything done. Samuel Gompers, progenitor of the American Federation of Labor, argued that the right to strike was absolutely obligatory if any reforms were going to be made and not even this right had been officially granted to the people by regime (Document I). Gompers made it very pellucid that not even the very substratum of organized labor had been established and so up until this point the advances that had been made, were virtually frivolous. In conclusion, from 1875-1900 very few advances were made through organized labor in achieving better working conditions for workers.

The AF of L wanted “unionism” and opposed socialism. TheKnights of Labor, another labor union, was created in 1869 and enlisted in their ranks not only alllaborers but also everyone who could be truly classified as a producer. Labor unions, the two major depressions and the three “robber barons” were three of theforemost reasons the Gilded Age got its name. The “robber barons” invested in things that wouldultimately lead to a “Golden Industrial Age” but they didn’t achieve it totally legitimately, and thecreation of the labor unions sided with the workers, but at times, grew violent in their methods.

However, the economic crises in 1837 collapsed the labor unions because of economic hard times, and with immigrants coming in surplus willing to work for cheap, regular people could not compete and thus had to work at the beckon of the factories. Labor unions worked when the economy was resilient, but when the economy was shocked, everyone was too afraid of demanding more when there were those willing to work for

When the unions were strong, people had high paying jobs and a strong middle class. America was overall stronger, more prosperous and if unions did not exist, who would represent the

Unions have been declining for decades. Throughout the history of America, few issues have caused the labor movement to fall. According to the author, the labor movement has been declining because the industries in which they could be strong could no longer afford them; once globalization opened the markets to foreigners, it became a significant competition. Because of this, there is a major competition and pay levels against the workers in Mexico and China who could turn out comparable products at a fraction of the American wage. (Meyerson, 2012)