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Terrence Powderly born
An influential leader of the Knights of Labor from 1878 to 1884 who led the group to expand to its highest level of membership in the 1880s. He promoted grassroots union expansion and tried to avoid strikes which he believed were both risky and costly. Many still occurred under his tenure like the 1885 Southwest Railroad Strike, and he led the group with the belief that a large and diverse union would prove strongest against the growing power of Gilded Age corporations. -
Samuel Gompers born
A founder and leader of the AFL from 1886 to 1894 who was originally an immigrant cigar maker in New York City. He focused more on collective bargaining with employers to gain better wages and benefits than he did on politics, and he was generally more exclusive regarding women and African-Americans than the Knights of Labor had been because he believed in preserving the "purity" of his union. -
Eugene V. Debs born
Originally a minor Democratic politician in Indiana, Debs was eventually influenced by the leftist ideas emerging in Europe at the time and became a staunch supporter of unions with his founding of the American Railway Union and involvement in the Pullman Strike and eventual arrest. He would help found the Industrial Workers of the World and several socialist parties in the US leading him to unsuccessfully run for president as a Socialist candidate five times. -
Florence Kelley born
Originally a factory inspector in Illinois and American labor leader who helped found both the American Socialist Party and National Consumers League. She supported an end to child labor, women's suffrage, an expansion of safety laws for factory workers, and shorter working hours for laborers. She used speeches and grassroots outreach to gain support for her left-wing causes from women who became more involved in the labor movement at the turn of the century. -
National Labor Union founded
This was the first national labor federation in US history, and it promoted the eight-hour work day, more factory safety laws, and greater political involvement for working-class people. It welcomed a diverse coalition of workers but still excluded Chinese-Americans due to racial biases. The depression of the 1870s led to its collapse in 1873 and the emergence of the Knights of Labor which largely replaced it in size and prominence. -
Knights of Labor founded
Founded in 1869 by a secret society of Philadelphia garment workers, this eventually massive union believed that ordinary people should control the means of production and was rather inclusive of most races and types of workers except for Chinese-Americans who they believed stole jobs from domestic workers. Nevertheless, they called for better wages, more work safety laws, an end to child labor, and taxes on the rich. They declined in popularity following the Haymarket Square Incident in 1886. -
National Education Association founded
Although it was originally founded as the National Teacher's Association in 1857, it became the most powerful union of public school teachers in 1870 when it merged with several other teachers' unions. Although it was originally an association of teachers with little collective bargaining power, it gained massive traction as a union during the 1960s and 1970s when states passed collective bargaining laws protecting public employees. It is currently the largest union in the United States. -
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Thousands of railroad workers walked off their jobs in an act of collective bargaining against the wage cuts that had risen against them since 1873. Much like the Homestead Strike, many states, given the interstate nature of this railroad strike, sent in local militia to stop the strikers, and by the end of the conflict, more than fifty were workers and militiamen were dead. This led to the creation of the National Guard to protect states from large scale domestic threats to public safety. -
John Lewis born
This prolific labor leader was the head of two of the largest unions during the 20th century, the United Mine Workers of American from 1919 to 1960 and the CIO from 1936 to 1940. He was in fact the first CIO president, and he was famous for his vocal support of both FDR and the Democratic Party which led to labor unions largely affiliating with Democrats even up until modern day. He was a highly effective leader as he was effective in raising benefits and wages for mine workers. -
Haymarket Square Riot
In response to an unruly strike by an Illinois branch of the Knights of Labor a day earlier, a small group of anarchists bombed several patrolling policemen leading the the eventual execution of 4 anarchists even though the only concrete evidence against them involved a series of anti-government speeches. Many Americans blamed the Knights of Labor for the scandal which led to mass arrests of Knights members and a decline in their leadership of the labor movement. -
American Federation of Labor founded
A more exclusive but stable union founded by skilled laborers following the Haymarket Square incident. They believed that unions would be more effective if they focused their efforts on the advancement of skilled workers and didn't become heavily involved in politics like the Knights of Labor had. It had 2 million members by 1904 and simply fought for work benefits and focused on accepting only white male workers. They believed that such practices would bring unions more respect. -
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act
In 1888, the anti-trust Republican Party regained control of Congress and the White House and passed this act in 1890 to both expand pensions to all Union veterans and more importantly regulate and often eliminate trusts and interstate monopolies to protect business competition and small businesses. It forbade large corporate trusts and other conglomerates that had been restricting American trade and entrepreneurship although it lost much of its power until the Clayton Antitrust Act. -
Homestead Steel Strike
When powerful steel magnate Andrew Carnegie put the anti-labor Henry Clay Frick in charge of his steel mill in Homestead, Pennsylvania, Frick locked out the workers there and demanded that they abandon their union which was intended to secure them better wages and conditions. Violence ensued when union workers rejected his demands, but the governor of Pennsylvania sent in the state militia to put an end to their rioting and steelworkers union. This was a major setback in the growth of unions. -
Pullman Strike
This was a massive railroad boycott against the Pullman Railroad company led by the American Railway Union and socialist leader Eugene V. Debs, and its stark interruption of commerce led to President Cleveland calling in the US army to stop the strike and break up the union. Debs ended up in jail, and although the strike took place across the Rust Belt, the American Federation of Labor formally opposed the strike and its more radical leaders. -
National Consumer's League founded
Although originally established as the New York Consumer's League in 1890, it expanded into the National Consumer's League under Florence Kelley in 1899. It focused on promoting shopping at stores and marketplaces which treated workers well and sold products from humane factories. Worked closely with the Women's Trade Union League which was founded in 1903, and both worked to involve women in the worker's rights movement in new and more innovative ways like boycotts and selective buying. -
Anthracite Coal Strike
In 1902, the United Mine Workers of America broke out in strike demanding higher wages and shorter workdays given the particularly difficult and unsafe conditions face by miners at the turn of the century. The strike crippled the America economy and power supply, so President Roosevelt eventually took a stand and for the first time in US history threatened to shut down the mines with force if the company didn't meet the workers' demands. This was the first time the president sided with workers. -
Lochner v. New York
The Supreme Court ruled that New York could not limit bakers' workday to 10 hours per day since it violated workers' rights to make contracts as found in the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. The court's majority opinion argued that it protected workers from overregulation although it was disheartening for many unionists and progressives who wanted government protections for workers including workday length restrictions. -
Industrial Workers of the World founded
Following the rise of socialism and Marxism amongst European labor groups during the 19th century, this far-left union was founded to support said Marxist class struggle which would give workers a greater degree of power in the face of an increasingly wealthy upper-class. It argued that workers could unite to overthrow capitalism and had 100,000 members by 1916. Its members were targeted during the First Red Scare due to their essentially communist views. -
Department of Labor created
On the last day of his presidency, Taft signed a bill allowing the Department of Labor to become a cabinet-level department of the federal government which would mitigate and mediate labor disputes and protect the legal rights of American workers. This was an extension of the Progressive Era's generally increasing support of labor unions beginning with Roosevelt and the Anthracite Coal Strike, and it gave unions a more direct means through which to politically lobby for their needs and wishes. -
Federal Trade Commission established
This was signed into law by President Wilson as the Federal Trade Commission Act and gave workers and consumers another branch of representation within the executive branch of the federal government. It allowed for investigations into corporations for the sake of consumer protection and worked to investigate unfair trade and business practices such as the formation of trusts and monopolies as well as illegal market activity. It continues to mitigate the growing power of American corporations. -
The Clayton Anti-Trust Act
This amended and strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act and felixibly outlawed actions which substantially lessened economic competitions such as large monopolies and trusts. It was generally effective in increasing said competition and was supported by progressive and President Woodrow Wilson. Most unions supported said antitrust legislation because it lowered prices for workers and decreased the size of powerful companies who were often at odds with unions. -
Adamson Act
This was one of the most extensive labor laws passed during the progressive era and, with the support of both Congress and President Woodrow Wilson, established the eight hour workday for all American railroad workers. This prevented many future strikes by railroad workers like those that were so common during the late 19th century, and it led to the legal expansion of workday limits for various other careers in the US represented by unions. -
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National War Labor Board (World War I)
This was established by Wilson to boost workers' production and morale during World War I and set regulations for workers that generally aligned with the goals of most unions. The board established the eight-hour workday for war workers and time-and-a-half pay for overtime work. It also took progressive positions in supporting equal pay for women, workers' rights to organize, and the nationalization of railroads and transportation to protect small businesses and farmers. -
Adkins v. Children's Hospital
A Supreme Court ruling voiding the minimum wage for female workers in Washington DC and thusly reversing the gains achieved by previous case Muller v. Oregon which protected the rights of female workers. This signaled the decline in both child labor laws and union membership during the 1920s due to this significant legal defeat, but eventually, unions would reemerge even stronger during the New Deal era of the 1930s and 40s. -
Cesar Chavez born
Originally a simple Mexican-American farm worker from Arizona, during the 60s, Chavez emerged as a labor leader and civil rights activist for Latino-Americans when he helped for the National Farm Workers Association which eventually evolved into the United Farm Workers. He led numerous marches and strike to protect the rights of American farm workers and was among the first labor leaders to effectively unionize and mobilize a large coalition of migrant workers for better hours and wages. -
National Industrial Recovery Act
This created the National Recovery Administration or NRA which used federal funding and programs to stimulate manufacturing during the Great Depression. This far-reaching New Deal program set up separate self-governing private organizations in 600 industries across the US and led to each industry regulating itself. It was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court in Schetcher v. US because of the presidential overreach in getting it passed and its strict regulations. -
Schechter v. US
Also known as the Sick Chicken Case where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a poultry corporation rather than FDR and his New Deal business regulations. The court ruled that the intense oversight created by the NIRA was unconstitutional and was thus struck down by the court, and the justices also questioned its constitutionality given the way FDR passed it with little involvement from Congress who had simply given him their powers. This was a serious blow against New Deal corporate regulations -
National Labor Relations Board established
This board was established by the Wagner Act following its passage by Congress and FDR and had the authority to protect workers from employer coercion and to guarantee workers' right to collective bargaining. This reaffirmed the powers of unions which had recently been questioned by Schechter v. US, and it led to a boom in union membership during the 30s and 40s with these new legal protections. It still exists today to protect workers but has been weakened throughout the 20th century. -
The Wagner Act
After the Supreme Court had struck down the NIRA and its business regulations which protected the rights of labor unions and their ability to collectively bargain, FDR fought back through the passage of this act which reaffirmed the rights of workers organize unions and bargain collectively for better wages and benefits. This established the rise of unions during the Second New Deal and later World War II, and it represented a shift in congressional support to favor unions rather than employers. -
Congress of Industrial Organizations founded
Unlike the American Federation of Labor which preceded it, the CIO emerged as a large union which worked to mobilize primarily unskilled industrial workers during the Great Depression. It was particularly bolstered by new laws and administrations protecting unions and workers like the Wagner Act and National Labor Relations Board, and it grew to become one of the largest unions in the United States by the 1940s due to its broad appeal. It eventually merged with the American Federation of Labor. -
National War Labor Board Reestablished (WWII)
President Roosevelt reestablished the National War Labor Board during World War II as a reward to industrial unions promising not to strike during the war. This board ensured that workers and industries continued to function efficiently while also providing workers and unions with many of the benefits they saw during World War I by stabilizing wages and hours for industrial workers. It stabilized the military-industrial complex and was part of what led to its Cold War era boom. -
United Steelworkers founded
This union emerged soon after the reestablishment of the National War Labor Board at the height of World War II industrial production, and it effectively unionized the broad coalition of steelworkers that were necessary in producing vehicles and military equipment for the war effort. They were able to use collective bargaining to secure higher wages and paid vacation time for American steelworkers, and they still exist today as America's largest industrial union. -
The Taft-Hartley Act
As the Republican Party took control of Congress in 1946, they began pushing for reforms to mitigate the power unions and workers had gained during World War II. Although both the now pro-union Democratic Party and President Truman opposed this act, Congressional Republicans overrode his veto and passed this law which allowed states to limit the rights of workers to form unions and collectively bargain by allowing "right-to-work" legislation. This led to a decline in union membership and power. -
AFL & CIO merge to form the AFL-CIO
This was an important merger of two of America's largest unions during the 1950s, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organization, and the resulting organization would become an important federation of various unions around North America. Important member unions of this massive federation include the United Steelworkers and United Farm Workers, and in recent decades, this federation has become known for its political activism and support of the Democratic Party. -
United Farm Workers established
This organization was originally founded by Hispanic farm labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta as the National Farm Workers Association in California which was intended to mobilize and unionize farm workers in the American southwest with a particular focus on protecting the often discriminated against Hispanic migrant workers. It is notable for its national inclusion of a diverse coalition of farm workers and effective picketing and striking activities during the 60s and 70s. -
PATCO Air Traffic Controllers Strike
This air traffic controllers' union began striking in favor of better wages, conditions, and a shorter work week only months after Republican President Ronald Reagan took office. Soon after the crippling strike began, Reagan manipulated the Taft-Hartley Act to demand that they workers return to work given the "peril to national safety" the strike caused, but when they refused to do so, Reagan ordered the striking workers be fired and the union be dissolved. This was key to the decline in unions. -
NAFTA takes effect
After years of negotiations between the United States, Mexico, and Canada dating to 1990 and the bill being signed into law on December 8, 1993, a free trade zone was established between the three negotiating countries in the duly named North American Free Trade Agreement. Although most American economists have voiced support for the agreement, many labor organizations oppose it due to the trade barriers it removes which protected US workers from cheaper Mexican manufacturing competition.
