Labor in the Progressive Era after Haymarket Prepared by Tom Conry, Madison High School Portland, OR
Jun 10, 2015
Labor in the Progressive Era
after Haymarket
Prepared by Tom Conry,Madison High SchoolPortland, OR
Labor – three possibilities Moderate – the American Federation of
Labor, headed by Samuel Gompers, craft union
Socialists – Socialist Party headed by Eugene Debs, works through elections
Radicals – International Workers of the World, headed by “Big Bill” Haywood, wants direct action
American Federation of Labor (AFL)Samuel Gompers Craft union Mostly white men More conservative Wanted shorter hours, higher
wages, better working conditions
What does labor want? "More“ Change will come through
collective bargaining
American Socialist PartyEugene Debs
Learned from failure of 1894 Pullman Strike
Formed political party, worked through elections
Diverse membership, many women
Wanted government ownership of big industry, vote for women, no child labor, right to strike
Change will come through elections
Industrial Workers of the WorldBig Bill Haywood et al. "The Wobblies" Industrial union, came out
of Western mining strikes Especially big in Oregon
and Washington Used strikes, boycotts,
songs, and education Rejected political parties
and elections Change will come through
a general strike and the workers will take over
Joe Hill of the IWW (Wobblies) Swedish immigrant (born
Hillstrom) IWW songwriter Framed for murder and
executed "Don't mourn – organize!"
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn of the IWWthe original Wobbly "Rebel Girl"
Joined the Wobblies at age 16 Great public speaker Helped to organize the 1912
Lawrence, Mass. "Bread and Roses" strike
A founder of the American Civil Liberties Union
Against capitalism Revolutionary union “One big union” Workers should
own industries Distrust of electoral
politics Work toward a
national general strike
What the Wobblies wanted
Why was labor angry?
sweatshop working conditions
child labor
Supreme Court decisions against labor Based on “liberty of contract” doctrine (14th
and 5th Amendments) Lochner v. New York (1905) states were
not allowed to restrict work hours Danbury Hatters case (1908) unions were
not allowed to boycott Before the Clayton Antitrust Act, striking
was against the law
Three events revitalize labor 1902 Anthracite strike (TR supports miners
against capital) 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire (sweatshop
working conditions exposed) 1912 Bread and Roses textile strike,
Lawrence, Massachusetts (high point of the IWW)
The Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902
King Coal Used in furnaces for heating Used in stoves for cooking Powered the railroads Powered factories Used in power-generating stations
Anthracite operators led by George “Divine Right” Baer
Installed by J.P. Morgan as head of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
Social Darwinist Told TR there was "nothing to
negotiate"
How "Divine Right" Baer got his nickname
“The rights and interests of the laboring man will be protected and cared for, not by the labor agitators, but by the Christian men to whom God in His infinite wisdom has given control of the property interests of the country” [open letter to the press during the 1902 strike]
Workers’ demands Eight-hour day 10% raise Owners must recognize and bargain with
the union
What happened? United Mine Workers president John Mitchell
calls for arbitration (a presidential commission to settle the strike)
George “Divine Right” Baer refuses (and insults TR)
TR leans on J.P. Morgan to make Baer accept the commission
At the commission, Baer is disastrous Insults TR Gets bad press for the
owners by declaring: “They don’t suffer; they can’t even speak English.” (Baer on the miners’ situation)
Public sentiment favors the miners
The result: miners win! The commission accepts most of the
union demands (but not union recognition) TR becomes famous for the “square deal” Establishes the principle of presidential
intervention in important strikes and labor struggles
Why the Anthracite Strike of 1902 matters:previous presidents had sided with capital
Andrew Jackson in 1834 sent troops to break strike on the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
War Department employees took over the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad during the Civil War
Rutherford B. Hayes sent troops to break the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Grover Cleveland used troops to break the Pullman Strike of 1894
Now TR was offering a “Square Deal” to both management and labor
The "Square Deal" – Reforms increase Federal Power, ended Laissez Faire
"Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and
commonsense."... "We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square
deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.""The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally
upon the welfare of all of us."--New York State Fair, Syracuse September 7, 1903
1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Reaction
The Disaster that Ended Tammany Hall 146 dead, mostly
young women Most are Jewish or
Italian Catholics Doors were locked People saw that
machine politics were inadequate
1912 Lawrence, MA"Bread and Roses" textile strike
Lawrence 1912 – what happened? American Woolen
Company speeded up production and reduced wages
Mostly women workers
Diverse immigrant workforce
IWW asked to organize strike
How the IWW organized Set up democratic
committee of 50 workers, all nationalities
Union supplied food and fuel for 50,000 workers
Governor declared martial law
IWW says: "Bayonets cannot weave cloth"
The Children's Exodus Company tries
to starve workers
IWW & Socialist Party sends children out of town to other workers
New law: no children can leave
How the strikers won Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
takes children out (against the law)
Police beat women and children in front of cameras
Police riot enrages public American Woolen
Company forced to raise wages
Bread and Roses (1912) strike song
Lyrics
James Oppenheim, 1912
As we go marching, marching in the beauty of the day,A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts grayAre touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses, For the people hear us singing:"Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses!"
As we go marching, marching we battle too for men,For they are women's children and we mother them again.Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes.Hearts starve as well as bodies;give us bread but give us roses.
As we go marching, marching we battle too for men,For they are women's children and we mother them again.Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes.Hearts starve as well as bodies;give us bread but give us roses.
As we go marching, marching unnumbered woman deadGo crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too!
As we go marching, marching we bring the greater days.The rising of the women means the rising of the race,No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposesBut a sharing of life's glories:Bread and roses! Bread and roses!