...The foundation of America is built on the sweat, tears and blood of hard working Americans. Americans who are often forgotten and unappreciated. In a world where money talks and time is money business men and women subjugate working Americans to terrible conditions to maximize their own profits. John Lewis’s speech is fundamental and important in American history because he forces us to appreciate the working class and their victories in establishing a fair working environment. Lewis declares and reminds the American people of the need for workers to unite and claim their rights in regards to their labor. John Lewis was a major player in the labor movement. His father was a coal miner, and eventually Lewis, himself would become a coal miner...
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...American Federation of Labor (AFL) | The leading labor organization in America, founded in 1881 by Samuel Gompers and composed of craft unions rather than a single national union | American Socialist Party | Political party formed in 1901 and led by Eugene V. Debs that advocated replacing the nation’s capitalist system | anarcho-syndicalism | A radical form of political protest that advocates the use of labor activism to overthrow the capitalist system | blacklist | A compilation of known union activists in a particular area; employers refused to hire anyone whose name appeared on one | Contract Labor Law | Passed in 1885, this prohibited employers from forcing immigrants to work to pay off the costs of their passage to America | Crédit Mobilier Company | A construction company set up by the directors of the Union Pacific in 1867 in order to build part of their transcontinental railroadin essence, they were their own subcontractors and awarded themselves generous contracts | craft union | Union of skilled laborers, the type of union assembled under the American Federation of Labor | horizontal integration | The system by which a business takes over its competitors in order to limit competition, lower costs, and maximize profits | Industrial Revolution | Transformation in the way goods were made and sold, as American businessmen between 1865 and 1915 used continuing technological breakthroughs and creative financing to bring greater efficiency to their businesses...
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...1. Unrestricted Capitalism in America Determining the overall importance of the Homestead Strike in the American Civil Labor Movement requires the investigation to examine the reasons for which the common laborer moved towards unionism and, later, full-fledged strikes. The overarching structure of American capitalist society which grew significantly in the Progressive era which extended from post reconstruction into the early 20th century and consisted of the laborers of which was the most significant portion of the population; and the management which included a very select, miniscule percentage of the population. During this period agrarian work declined and did not have a large effect on the Labor Movement and the corresponding events...
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...Industrialization after the Civil War was a period where Industrial city were being built, there were jobs for people and the political aspect was having corruption. In this paper the main points in this paper discussed the major aspects of the Industrialization Revolution, such as groups that were affected by the Industrial society, and the affects the life of the average working American. While the Industrial Revolution was a great turning point in the history of mankind, it led humanity to great technological advancements, middle and lower class, African American rights, woman equal rights, and many others. Three Aspects of the Industrial Revolution Three major aspects of the Industrial Revolution during 1865 to 1920 influenced society, economy, and politics. Society was a major aspect of Industrialization because companies were being built, railways was distributing goods to different states (Arrington, 2013). Also, a lot of people were moving from the South and farm areas to the Northern urban areas. Iron and steel had become more vital to the Industrialization of America, and the United States was becoming more Industrialized and less agricultural (Gilder Lehrman Institute, 2009). The society worked in factories to earn money; they also worked at steel plants, and other jobs. Society played a major aspect in Industrialization. The second aspect is economy; economy plays a big part because the economy had an economic growth from all of the factories being built, the trains...
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...drives America even today (Terry, 2013). The most recent recession has hit the manufacturing sector in the US very hard, and new layers of red tape and more tax burdens are driving more manufacturing jobs out of the US to overseas destinations thus affecting the United States global competitiveness. Tax burdens on the manufacturing sector in the United States have made manufacturing in the US more expensive than elsewhere in places like China (Terry, 2013). Added to this is the fact that the trade unions in the US are driving up manufacturing costs by increasing the pay and benefits of workers in unionized companies. This has resulted in unionized companies facing more financial losses than non-unionized companies, thus forcing unionized companies to move out their manufacturing bases to places like China (Sherk, 2009). Employer-friendly unions can bring back manufacturing jobs to the US, and this can be achieved through changing the the attitudes, policies and practices of most trade unions in the US. How Can Employer-Friendly Unions Bring Back Manufacturing Jobs To The US? Most businesses run on profit motive, and to achieve greater profits, companies have to cut costs and increase production and sales. It is only when production costs become higher that companies think of moving out to other destinations where production costs such as, labor costs and material costs are cheap. The factors that drive-up manufacturing costs in the US are formation of labor cartels...
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...Nicole Kalgren Mrs. Candler Labor management (20919) Fall semester 2013 Norma Rae . Norma Rae Norma Rae is based on life story of Crystal Sutton and her connection with Ruben Warshovsky and the organization of the textile workers at the J.P. Stevens Company in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina (Labor Films). The movie was a realistic depiction of the sad, immoral, and domineering working conditions that existed in the looming life of mass production workers, and one woman’s struggle to overcome and progress the labor relation problems at a textile mill during the 1970's. The textile workers were unsatisfied with many aspects of their capitalistic working environment. They fought to form a union so that they could change the unwelcome characteristics to better meet their needs. Political, environmental, and cultural processes all played a part in the workers struggle to form an effective union. Norma Rae, a loom operator in the weaving room is an outspoken individual and is very out spoken about her poor working conditions such as excessive noise, long hours with short breaks, physical stress from standing for long periods and abnormally high temperatures in the work areas. Added to all this is managements apathy for the working conditions, as seen when her mother looses her hearing temporarily with little or no sentiment from the company doctor, who knows this is a common problem for the workers. With this setting, the film progresses through most of the stages for...
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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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...Unionization 1 Unionization Tammy Overly Everest College Phoenix December 7, 2014 Unionization 2 The labor movement’s status has always been precarious due to America’s love-hate attitude toward organized labor. With the right-to-work laws coming to many states, it will be even more precarious than before. Right-to-work laws allow people to work at a unionized business without joining the union. Today, like a century ago, some citizen passionately believe that unions are crucial bulwarks of freedom, while others feel just as strongly that they are at best outdated and at worst an obstacle to progress. Labor is not merely a commodity, but a special part of the human experience; workers deserve a say in the working conditions of their labor; the right of workers to organize in their own self-interest is a basic human right. During the 1950’s the American economics professor Clark Kerr(2010) observed that “organized labor and management are primarily engaged in sharing between themselves what is, at any one moment of time, a largely given amount of income and power.” Kerr’s words point to the crux of labor history; this is a power game, who will rule the workplace? Some employers have taken the position that managers, as representatives of business owners, should have all the power. The rule of the workplace it that management dictates...
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...the Reconstruction Era and the following decades leading up to the Industrialization of America. As with any other period in history, there are different ways to view this specific span of time. Interpreting this period of one as social unjust and injustice is one option. Conversely, it can be distinguished for significant progress in various aspects and the overall prosperity that came as a result of industrialization. Focusing on one method or the other may better guide in understanding this period. For starters, both of these components were clearly present in this duration...
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...Revolution changed the way Americans lived their lives. The revolution brought the use of more machines, which were kept in factories. Conditions during this period were terrible. The jobs were dangerous, low paying, and the hours lasted far too long. Labor unions such as the American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor started the call for better working conditions. Although the labor unions were able to improve some of the aspects of working life, such as hours, wages, and safety, their success was hindered by the interference of the government, who sided with the big businesses....
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...Eugene O’Neill wrote a play called the Hairy Ape that focuses on the time period in America during the industrial revolution. The play follows a man, Yank, searching for how he fits into the world. The themes of the play revolve around how the United States was changing during this crucial moment in America’s history. New ideas, technologies and cultures were emerging, and O’Neill saw this. He wanted to express his views and opinions of how America was changing through his plays. His plays became influential and powerful because it focused on real-life issues and problems that were occurring during that time, even though the plays were fictional stories. The Hairy Ape is no exception and is one of many of his fantastic plays that delved into the dark reality that was occurring in post WWI America. O’Neill opens his play with a scene showing some firemen working in the engine room of a ship talking amongst each other. This scene is important because it already shows a major topic that O’Neill is tackling: the transformation of humans into “machines” by industrialization. The firemen work in a harsh and monotonous environment; they repeat the same task over and over without putting any thought into it. They are also shown as uneducated, primitive and uncivilized people. O’Neill portrays these people this way to show how degrading humans into tools are making them less intellectual and less “human.” Humans have the capability to think, create and be innovative, but O’Neill sees...
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...that ensured pay in proportion to productivity, the basis for a stakeholder economic system. While a combination of strong labor unions, antitrust laws, and lack of strong foreign competition kept corporate management true to this silent agreement through the 1960s, by the 1970s the stakeholder system started to show noticeable signs of erosion and weakening. Foreign markets seemed to perfectly time their revival with the dying breaths of big government and big labor in the United States, triggering an enormous shift in corporate...
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...Best and Worst About the Historical Development of the American Workplace Student’s Name Course Number Instructor’s Name Introduction The workplace history of America defines the past of organized labor, in addition, to the overall past of working individuals, in America. Pressures dictating the manner and authority of arranged labor have involved the evolution and autonomy of the corporation, endeavors by employers and individual agencies to restrict or regulate unions and American labor rule. As a reaction, arranged unions and labor federations have competed, altered, combined and separated in opposition of a backdrop of altering social philosophies and periodic federal intervention. The American workplace has espoused a group of values, solidarity being the most significant, the sense that every individual should look out for the wellbeing of all. From this followed commitments to mutual help, to a rough and ready feeling of partiality, to a disdain for elitism. The working individuals of America have had to unite in the struggle to attain the benefits that they have acquired through this century. Enhancements did not come effortlessly. Labor in United States has rightfully been explained as a stabilizing force in the state economy and a bulwark of the sovereign community. Additionally, the benefits that unions have been able to attain have brought advantages and disadvantages, direct and indirect, to the general public. Historical Development of the American Workplace...
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...Prior to the industrial revolution United States mainly struggled maintaining stable flow in its economics and politics. Despite all U.S. had gone through, this part of world was always attractive to Europeans and Europe encouraged Americans to absorb the rules of new era that required industrial revolution. Although industrialization started in United States by early 19th century, but total industrial revolution took place since Civil War ended; and it started booming by the beginning of 20th century. Three major aspects of industrialization during 1865 and 1920 that influenced U.S. society, economy, and politics. Consider issues such as geography, entrepreneurship, legislative representation, etc. In terms of its aspects, many aspects of industrialization can be identified. Among those, innovations & technology, capitalism and labor unions were the most important and obvious aspects of this revolutionized era. * Innovations & technology Well educated people who had observed an industrial change in Western Europe were so enthusiastic about applying the same in the States. These people were mainly from north eastern part of the country, because universities were established in this part of the country earlier than any other part. Incandescent light bulb was revolutionary innovation which had a direct impact on all areas of industry. Thomas Edison was the genius behind this innovation, whose idea made it possible to work for longer hours, even after sunset in...
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...1. Labor relations are generally defined as relations between management and workers. They are also called industrial relations. Workers or group of workers are represented by trade unions. Labor relations may take place on different levels such as regional, national, international. The main challenge for such relation is ability to adapt to emerging changes. The world and technology develops very fast, so do relations between workers and management. Trade unions (also called) labor unions are organizations of workers who united to defend their rights, solving problems in the industry such as wages, working hours, bonuses, Union represent workers and negotiate with the management on behalf of the workers (Jochem, 2000). Such relations are usually accompanied by tensions and conflicts and company owners usually want to earn more and pay less. Workers are willing to work in better conditions for a better salary. Labor unionism in the United States is an expression of the American democratic spirit working itself out in industry is hardly to be doubted. Its beginnings coincided with the period when the free colonies were establishing state governments, and the principles of the federal Constitution were subjects of great political debate. It developed stretch in Jefferson's administration, and grew to a full-fledged labor movement during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Workmen's clubs, unions, were part of the movement of "Republican-Democratic Societies" which marked "the...
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