In the Pullman strike, 1894 in economic depression, model factory owner cut wages 25% and laid off half workforce.
Militant American Railway Union moved in and Eugene Debs (socialist union leader) led the strike.
President Grover Cleveland sent in federal troops and officers of ARU imprisoned.
Employers continued to use court injunctions against strikers until prohibited federal law (1932).
Some moves to curtail monopolies (Sherman Anti-trust Act 1890) but bosses cut wages without warning, laid people off and changed hours.
Workforce divided with influx of unskilled immigrant labour (freed slaves, Eur immigrants who refused to work with blacks).
In the Carnegie Homestead steel plant strike, plant manager was murdered.
Lochner v New York (1905) ruled 10 hour day unconstitutional as violated 14th amendment and right to determine own hours of work.
Black workers used as ‘scab’ labour and seen as responsible for pinning down wages.
African-Americans began to form unions as early as 1869.
Not until 1939 that the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids recognised by Pullman Co.
Craft unions in the 1860s existed to protect those in skilled or craft industries and did not allow unskilled, women or African American workers to join.
Only 2% of the labour force were members of unions in the 1860s.
The Knights of Labour demanded the 8 hour day, abolition of child labour and equal pay for equal work.
The Knights of Labour accepted workers of all skill levels, African-Americans and both sexes from 1883.
The Knights of Labour supported the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Membership of the Knights of Labour collapsed to 100,000 after the Haymarket Affair.
American Federation of Labor attempted to unite all workers so that by 1914 it had 2 million members.
First President of the American Federation of Labor, Samuel Gompers believed that unions should respect the economic system.
The Industrial Workers of the World were formed in 1905 in protest at the AFL's moderation approach.
The IWW or Wobblies fought for poorer workers and immigrants, promoting revolutionary struggle to overthrow the ruling class.
The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel workers was bankrupted by the Homestead strike in 1892.
By 1900 not a single steel plant in Pennsylvania remained unionised.
Union membership had grown to 2 million by the outbreak of the First World War.
Laissez-faire capitalism allowed business corporations to grow like Carnegie (steel) and Rockefeller (oil).
Molly Maguires were a secret society of Irish immigrants working in mines in Pennsylvania.
Wage reductions or changes to working conditions could lead to house burning or even murder by Molly Maguires in early 1870s.
Molly Maguires were arrested by private policemen and prosecuted by mining and railroad company lawyers.
4 murders including a mine superintendent who fired and blacklisted striking miners and a non union miner in 1875 led to Molly Maguire trials.
20 Molly Maguires were hanged.
Irish immigrants were systematically excluded from juries in Molly Maguire trials and most jurors were German immigrants with limited English.
