AMH-2020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Pullman Strike, Homestead Strike, Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship
Document Summary
Labor union: an association of employees who band together to secure favorable wages, to gain improved working conditions, and to resolve grievances against employers: knights of labor, american federation of labor. Immigration caused a larger workforce, driving wages down: able to collectively organize, organized strikes. Mass refusal to work, often protesting/demonstrating outside of workplace. Used these to prevent employers from just hiring new people. Strikes are a good tactic, but the possibility of a strike is more intimidating. Strikes create possibility for violence to erupt- not the best thing: haymarket riot- 1886, chicago. Employers tried to hire new people (scabs) Fight broke out between strikers and scabs. Two days later, a fight broke out again between strikers and police officers. Someone through a bomb into the crowd. Other officers started shooting, killing more people. Blame fell on anarchists: homestead steel strike- 1892. Workers i(cid:374) car(cid:374)egie(cid:859)s steel (cid:373)ills get lo(cid:272)ked out. Union leaders had been negotiating wage cuts with management.
