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Great Railroad Strike of 1877
When a significant pay cut was underway for West Virginia railroad workers, they began to go on strike and blocked the railroads from transporting goods until they were compensated fairly by their employers. This became a nationwide strike as railroad workers across the country joined together and committed acts of vandalism to show their frustration with the ownership. Militiamen were called in by several unsympathetic governors in big cities and had to use force to end the protests. -
Haymarket Square Riot
Again, industrial workers rallied together to protest for rights of the working class, this time it was for an eight-hour workday. In Chicago, the rally started off peacefully when workers were protesting the deaths of several workers the previous day by police officers. But then a bomb went off and killed seven officers and wounded several civilians. As a result of this incident, eight anarchists were tried and convicted for conspiracy and membership in labor unions decreased significantly. -
Creation of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Disaffected from the dying Knights of Labor, several craft unions met in Columbus, Ohio to form one alliance uniting skilled workers of different crafts. Samuel Gompers would lead the organization to fight for higher wages and better working conditions. As the AFL gained membership, it also started to wield some political influence with politicians speaking on behalf of their interests. Because of this organization, we start to see the national government address the needs of the working class. -
Creation of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC)
At a conference held in Carnegie Hall in New York City, men and women concerned with the plight of working children supported the formation of this organization. It relied on photographers like Lewis Hine to portray the horrific scenes of children working dangerous jobs in factories. Its leaders exposed the facts of how children would work full night shifts sometimes with no adult supervision for a pay much less than the average adult worker. It focused on the state level to ban child labor. -
The Principles of Scientific Management published
Although the principles were already set in place by factory owners and other industrial sectors, this publication laid down the theory of management for business owners on how to increase economic efficiency and labor productivity. Written by Frederick Taylor, the book argues that businesses should focus on maximizing production which resulted in employers to become too powerful over their employees. Taylorism, as it was called, made labor jobs more unpleasant and resulted in lower wages. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
A fire broke out in a garment factory in New York City where 146 workers, mostly women died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. The managers had locked the stairwells and exits to prevent union workers from entering the building. The unsafe working conditions of this sweatshop resulted in labor unions to advocate for improved safety of the workplace for unskilled labor. This event helped expose the abusive and hell-like conditions that the lower class faced. -
Keating-Owen Act
Pressure from the NCLC resulted in Congress to pass this piece of legislation, prohibiting the sale in interstate commerce of goods produced though child labor. To enforce the act, the government would send inspectors to inspect workplaces that produce goods for commerce. Although ruled unconstitutional by the U.S Supreme Court, the law reflected a significant shift in how society and the government perceives child labor and represented a shift from maximizing production to moral reform. -
Creation of the National War Labor Board
Created to maximize production levels in the war industries, this agency ensured that workers would not go on strike in order to not disrupt the production of war material for WWI. It represented a pause in laborers' disillusionment toward their employers and companies so that they could help achieve a speedy victory for the US in the war. Despite this, the agency supported an eight-hour workday and an equal pay for women. It also ruled on several cases that addressed worker complaints. -
Stock Market Crash
Known as Black Tuesday, this crash on Wall Street in New York City resulted in investors buying too much stock on the margin and the overproduction of goods during the Roaring 20s. When millions of people lost so much money from the banks, they could not afford to buy products made by factories causing businesses to lay off and fire employees. The unemployment rate reached an all-time high and the working class had to seek refuge from soup kitchens and "Hoovervilles" in cities like Chicago.
