Listen to a recorded reading of this page:.Take a ten question quiz about this page.In 1947, the Taft-Hartley Act was passed to restrict the power of labor unions.Four of the strikers were hanged after being found guilty for starting a riot. A strike in Chicago in 1886 turned into a riot later called the Haymarket Riot.At the time, they called the strike a 'turn out.' One of the earliest strikes was held by the Lowell Mill Girls in 1836.Business owners would sometimes put spies in the unions and then fire any workers that tried to join.In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act was passed that guaranteed the right for private citizens to form a union.Interesting Facts about Labor Unions during the Industrial Revolution Some of the largest unions today include the National Education Association (teachers), the Service Employees International Union, and the Teamsters. Today, labor unions aren't as strong as they once were, however, they still play an important role in many industries. Throughout the 1900s, labor unions became a powerful force in the economy and politics. Many of these strikes ended in violence and the destruction of property, but eventually they began to have an impact on the workplace and conditions gradually improved. Other famous strikes included the Homestead Steel Mill Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike of 1894. Although the wages weren't restored, workers began to see the power they had through the strike. The strike ended 45 days after it started. Things turned violent and several strikers were killed. When strikers tried to stop the trains from running, federal troops were sent in to put down the strike. The strike quickly spread throughout the country. It began in Martinsburg, West Virginia after the B&O Railroad company cut wages for the third time in a year. One of them was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. There were several major strikes that took place during the Industrial Revolution.

It became a powerful force in fighting for workers' rights through strikes and through politics. The AFL was founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers. The next major union to form was the American Federation of Labor (sometimes called the AFL). It grew rapidly, but just as quickly collapsed. One of the first national unions was the Knights of Labor in the 1880s. After the Civil War, national unions began to form. In the early part of the Industrial Revolution most of the unions were smaller and local to a town or a state. In some cases, things became so violent that the government had to step in and restore order.

When employers tried to replace striking workers, the workers sometimes fought back. During the Industrial Revolution this wasn't always a peaceful process. The unions organized strikes and negotiated with employers for better working conditions and pay. It was easy for factory owners to replace one employee who complained, but much more difficult to replace all their employees if they went on strike together.

They joined together and created unions in order to fight for safer conditions, better hours, and increased wages. If an employee complained, they were fired and replaced.Īt some point, workers began to revolt. Many workers were poor immigrants who had little choice but to keep working despite the conditions. The typical industrial employee worked long hours under dangerous conditions for little pay. Unlike today, the government took little interest in creating safety standards or in regulating how businesses treated workers. The Industrial Revolution was a time when national labor unions began to form in the United States.ĭuring the Industrial Revolution, the working conditions in factories, mills, and mines were terrible.

Labor unions are large groups of workers, usually in a similar trade or profession, that join together to protect the workers' rights. Industrial Revolution Labor Unions History > Industrial Revolution

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