...In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, American history marks the time periods of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Additionally, it is during this time that both the American society and labor force face an “industrial” change in which allows for the development of coal mining, working the railroads, in addition with a variety of other jobs. Correspondingly, when these new jobs come to the American hand, union groups begin to come along with them such as the Knights of Labor and later the American Federation of Labor. However, it is also during this time that America undergoes a great migration wave in which brings a significant amount of Italians, Germans, and Irish to the eastern coast which created great competition on the job market. Moreover,...
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...Good evening everyone, I came here tonight prepared to speak with you all about American Labor Union History going back to the Eighteenth Century. Due to time restraints, I am now being asked to give you the top three most important events in American Labor Union History. There have been so many significant events, picking the three most important is a very difficult task. However, I will rise to the occasion and give you lovely folks what I believe to be the three most important events in American Labor Union History. The three I will speak briefly about are; the formation of The Knights of Labor in 1885, The Wagner Act of 1935, and the merger between AFL and the CIO creating the AFL-CIO in 1955. The foundation of The Knights of Labor is especially significant because this was the first time in American Labor Union History that there was an attempt to form one large general union. The early years of The Knights of Labor were very successful. This union offered membership to skilled and non-skilled workers as well as women and African Americans. Between 1885 and 1886 nearly 600,000 members joined under leader Terence Powderly seeking eight hour work days, equal pay, and to do away with child labor. The Knights won a major strike against the Wabash Railroad which led to the quick increase in membership. However, by the late 1880’s the organization was practically extinct due to lack of leadership for such an overwhelming quick increase in membership . The Wagner Act...
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...working conditions (“labour union”). The Knights of Labor was a worker organization that was unique from any other of its time. Although, the greater part of the Knights’ labour movement lasted only two decades, they were able to accomplish a great deal throughout that time. The Knights’ accomplishments revolved around the process in which they successfully attracted a large number of people, as well as their two most notable victories regarding the 8 Hour Movement and the Jay Gould Strike. To begin, it is crucial to have a basic understanding of the Knights of Labor and their origins. The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of labor formed in 1869 as a small and secret society (Palmer, 1992, p. 121). They began as a simple group of Philadelphian garment workers lead by Uriah Stephens. Stretching beyond boundaries of a common labour union, Stephens incorporated “a religious brotherhood, a political reform society, a fraternal order, and a pure and simple unionism” into his organization (Palmer, p. 121). Under the leadership of Stephens, the Knights remained a relatively secretive organization. This completely changed when Terence V. Powderly took over the union and exposed the Knights to the public in the 1880s. This marked the beginning of the Knights rapid growth and success (Palmer, p. 121). The rapid growth of the Knights stemmed from their inclusivity and willingness to welcome virtually anyone into their organization. The Knights succeed in the organization of workers...
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...United States Labor Movement The Labor Movement in the United States of America started in the formative years of our nation. Its purpose being to organize workers to strive for better working conditions, reasonable pay and better treatment in the workplace. From it’s beginnings in the early to mid nineteenth century during the Industrial Revolution to the modern era of today, the labor movement has fought hard forming labor parties and labor laws to give the American worker the rights they deserve. One of the earliest and more influential of labor organizations came to be in 1860; The Knights of Labor. The Knights of Labor mission was to “inform, and support working families, and to organize them to better represent their rights” (The Knights of Labor, 2011, ¶1) By the end of the 1800s the Knights had become a national fixture and included all workers into the group such as lawyers, doctors, gamblers and bankers. The main focus of the Knights of Labor were to push for an eight-hour work day; to rid child labor from existence, to do away with convict contract labor as they opposed the source of cheap labor taking jobs away from workers who needed a job; and equal pay for all their workers. In the early goings, they were opposed to the use of strikes however that trend changed and work stoppages had become a very good tool to use. The Knights of Labor had reached its apex in 1886 with over 700,000 members however their...
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...Doraisamy Contents 1.0 Company history……………………………………………………………………………………. 2.0 Swot analysis.................................................................................................. 3.0 Ethical issue……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4.0 Conclusion......................................................................................................... Preliminary Information: Iconography Explained Nike's Heritage NIKE, pronounced NI-KEY, is the winged goddess of victory according to Greek mythology. She sat at the side of Zeus, the ruler of the Olympic pantheon, in Olympus. A mystical presence, symbolizing victorious encounters, NIKE presided over history's earliest battlefields. A Greek would say, "When we go to battle and win, we say it is NIKE." Synonymous with honored conquest, NIKE is the twentieth century footwear that lifts the world's greatest athletes to new levels of mastery and achievement. The NIKE 'swoosh' embodies the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization. (from Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) The Swoosh The SWOOSH logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. It represents the wing of the Greek Goddess NIKE. Caroline Davidson was a student at Portland State University in advertising. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes ...
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...American Labor Movement Labor unions began to develop in America in the nineteenth century because of the need for better safety and job security for workers. Workers formed labor unions in response to dangerous working conditions, low wages, and long hours. In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, men, women, and even children worked in unsafe factories for ten to twelve hours daily for a meager pay. These harsh conditions forced workers to look for ways to improve their situation. They eventually learned that by banding together and bargaining as a group, they could pressure employers to respond to their demands. The development of labor unions follows the development of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution brought about skilled laborers and a huge increase in production, thanks to a better production system. The new factory system brought workers both steady employment in good economic times and bad working conditions and unemployment during depressions. Consequently, the Industrial Revolution changed the American class structure, turning skilled tradesmen into the working class, who found it very difficult to escape factory work. Printers, carpenters, tailors, and weavers formed local craft unions in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Their main objective was to maintain craft standards, to prevent employers from hiring unskilled workers and immigrant labor. The largest labor organizations emerged between 1866 and 1936. The National Labor...
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...limits, only goals Child Labor Activist 09/02/2015 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary ………………………………………………………….. 1 II. Introduction ………………………………………………………………....... 2 III. Roots ………………………………………………………………………….. 3 IV. Taking Care of Goals ………………………………………………………… 4 V. Labor Scandal ………………………………………………………………… 5 VI. Wages ………………………………………………………………………… 6 VII. Boiling Water ……………………………………………………………….... 7 VIII. The Stakeholders …………………………………………………………...... 10 IX. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 11 I. Executive Summary Nike is a name brand known for its sports athletic gear. This report will examine the issues of Nike on a controversial dilemma in which Nike is ethically responsible for manufacturing its goods. Nike has been known to be a sponsor for the highest paid names in the sports industry. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are two of many that benefit from the Nike endorsements. Analytically speaking large corporations like Nike Inc. tend to contract a large portion of factories overseas to avoid the strict working regulations in the United States. These third world countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan, China, Korea, and Taiwan provide access to readily abundant cheap labor. Nike believed investing in developing countries to manufacture their products which led them to their current multi-billion dollar success. The exploitation scandal of Nike’s success includes labor issues, under age child labor, and wages. People may...
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...Abby Johnson Mr. Son Mai History 202 September 14, 2011 America’s Greedy Actions The late 19th century was a time when the United States was going through many changes, causing most of the citizens to be greedy for money, land and many other things. During this time period, the Civil War had just ended and reconstruction was taking place. Reconstruction meant improvement in the government and an entire new lifestyle. Because America had new methods of labor, founded natural resources worth a lot of money, and new land to work with, they became greedy and wanted more of whatever they had. In the 19th century, several immigrants came to America for jobs, which led to what is known as today “cheap labor.” Being that so many immigrants were coming across the border for money, every one of them were opposing against each other, causing the outcome to be people working for little pay and the companies were making more money. Greedy Americans would make them work close to ten hours a day for six days a week, while their pay was between a range of ten to twenty cents an hour, depending on each one of their abilities. Because of this, many organizations and unions formed and strikes came about to show Americans that they will not make the middle class their slave. The Knights of Labor, founded by Uriah Smith Stephens, was an organization that accepted skilled and unskilled workers, women, and black people. This association called for eight hours of labor a day, however; this eliminated...
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...In response to the rapid industrialization western farmers retaliated politically with the birth of the Populist Party while urban industrial workers responded to industrialization with the formation of labor unions and...
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...History of the Labor Movement “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” (United States Department of Labor). This quotation is referring to one of our national holidays, Labor Day. Ultimately, the labor movement in the United States formed this holiday celebrated every September. Labor day is a day to celebrate how far American workers have come since before the 19th century. During the 1800s American workers could be found at their job for most of the day almost everyday. It was a hard time for families to make ends meet forcing even their children to work. On average, an individual would work twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Easy jobs, such as working in a factory or mill, children as young as five would be working to help their families pay bills and even eat a meal (History, 2010). Soon times got tougher for Americans by having wage cuts and needing them to work more hours. Several different strikes occurred starting in 1768 over these wage reductions. Workers fought for several years to be treated differently by getting paid more and working less hours; to fight for these rights strikes were happening more frequently. Soon reform efforts were popping up to fight against the social inequality occurring; Knights of Labor and National Union Labor were the most popular. However, their efforts were not changing the economic conditions the workers faced; therefore...
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... | |Progressivism | | |Test | | | | | | |[pic] | | |U.S. History since the Civil War (S2978848) | | |Billy Jean Bonilla-Davila | | | | | |Points possible: 60 | | |Date: ____________ ...
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...In article The Big Business and Organization labor it explains the growth and expansion of early America’s economy after the Civil War, how the rise and fall of the different labor organizations shaped America, and how the local and regional economies coming together was a key factor in forming a more mature national market. This article is a type of document called a report. The reason for this is because it contains factual content and informs the reader of important historical events of early America. The local and regional economies’ coming together was a key development in revolutionizing Americas industry for many reasons. One reason was that the demand for supplies of railroad networks, telegraph systems, and other innovations increased. This enabled entrepreneurs to manufacture products for distribution across the country. Business leaders like J.P. Morgan, Jay Gould, Daniel Drew, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie, there businesses created new jobs and they contributed into helping improve the general welfare of their communities. The rise and fall of the different labor organizations shaped not only early America but also the America we live into today. For example, the Knights of Labor set the foundation for 8 hour working days. Another example is Samuel Gompers who was the founder of American Federation of Labor(AFL) embraced the strike as the unions most effective weapon in wrenching concessions from recalcitrant corporate leaders. These two examples...
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...On the topic of unionism and union politics, historians have shown the small success, but ultimate failure of labor unions in the United States of America during the industrial era. Several historians have delved into the topic, but three will be examined. Leon Fink is a historian with a specialty in American labor, immigration history, and the Gilded Age/Progressive Era. He wrote the book Democracy: The Knights of Labor and American Politics. Another historian is David Montgomery is a labor historian. He wrote the book The Fall of the House of Labor: The Workplace, the State, and American Labor Activism. Finally, the third is Michael Pierce; he is a U.S. labor historian and author of the article “The Populist President of the American Federation...
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...Labor Unions in the United States Posted Mon, 2010-02-01 17:21 by Anonymous Gerald Friedman, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Unions and Collective Action In capitalist labor markets, which developed in the nineteenth-century in the United States and Western Europe, workers exchange their time and effort for wages. But even while laboring under the supervision of others, wage earners have never been slaves, because they have recourse from abuse. They can quit to seek better employment. Or they are free to join with others to take collective action, forming political movements or labor unions. By the end of the nineteenth century, labor unions and labor-oriented political parties had become major forces influencing wages and working conditions. This article explores the nature and development of labor unions in the United States. It reviews the growth and recent decline of the American labor movement and makes comparisons with the experience of foreign labor unions to clarify particular aspects of the history of labor unions in the United States. Unions and the Free-Rider Problem Quitting, exit, is straightforward, a simple act for individuals unhappy with their employment. By contrast, collective action, such as forming a labor union, is always difficult because it requires that individuals commit themselves to produce "public goods" enjoyed by all, including those who "free ride" rather than contribute to the group effort. If the union succeeds, free riders...
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...of the labor movement lay in the formative years of the American nation, when a free wage-labor market emerged in the artisan trades late in the colonial period. The earliest recorded strike occurred in 1768 when New York journeymen tailors protested a wage reduction. The formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers)...
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