Workers and the Gilded Age Flashcards
How did wages change in the period?
They rose by 60 per cent for some skilled workers, in spite of an increase in the working population
How did the prevalence of industry change in the period and what effect did this have on workers?
- The US economy grew significantly
- The industries that experienced the most dramatic growth were iron, steel, coal and the transportation industry involved in moving heavy goods
- This would have increased the demand for workers, giving them more bargaining power
- However, many workers were less interested in unionisation during periods of prosperity as they believed their pay and rights were secure
What were the general effects in unionisation in the period?
- Unions, particularly craft unions, grew in membership
- Unions were able to influence employers and government and ended the period of workers having no representation
- However, they received little legal recognition from businesses or the government
Which unions were established in the period and how did their membership change?
- The Knights of Labor (KOL), which was established in 1869 and saw rapid growth in membership of 680,000 from 1881 to 1886, though it began to heavily decline after this
- The American Federation of Labor (AFL), which was established in 1886 and saw a membership increase of 1.8 million between 1890 and 1915
What impact did the Knights of Labor have?
- They were able to force Jay Gould’s south-western railroad company to restore the wages of its workers and recognise their union
- It was very inclusive, though still discriminated, with 8 to 12 per cent of all workers being enrolled and as many as 65,000 women and 60,000 African Americans
- Their approach involved pressuring businesses to make changes and bringing publicity to the plight of workers
What did the AFL achieve?
- It challenged KOL’s notion of a centralised union, instead seeking to connect existing unions without disbanding them
- Gompers, its leader, ensured it avoided politics and thus the taint of radicalism by criticising the capitalist system without calling for its abolition
- It used strikes to attain the 8-hour working day and the right to collective bargaining for many workers
- It endorsed politicians who supported workers’ rights, providing money and publicity
What is some evidence that supports for the inequality of the workforce during the Gilded Age?
- Two per cent of the population owned 30 percent of the wealth
- Wages of unskilled workers were 30 per cent lower than wages of skilled, craft workers, who tended to be white men
How did the average working week change between 1860 and 1914?
It decreased from 66 hours to 55 hours
Why was the need for skilled workers generally in decline?
Mechanisation
What is a statistic that demonstrates the dangerous conditions many workers were subjected to?
2000 rail workers were killed in accidents in 1889
How many immigrants arrived from Europe betwene 1880 and 1910?
More than 8 million
Many came from Asia too
How did high immigration rates in the Gilded Age impact workers’ rights?
- They were used as strike breakers: if a worker went on strike, an immigrant would be employed to replace them
- This was a strong deterrent to striking, hindering the advancement of workers’ rights
- They tended to be unskilled so did not demand much pay, meaning workers were constantly facing salary cuts
Former slaves played a similar role
What was the workers’ insurrection of 1877?
- In 1877, workers for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad walked out, protesting against wage cuts
- The strike expanded and violence erupted in several cities, prompting President Hayes to call in federal troops
What happened at Carnegie’s Homestead Steelworks in 1892?
- Workers protested against wage cuts, prompting Carnegie to call the Pinkerton detectives to infiltrate the workforce and prevent strikes
- Violence broke out between the detectives and workers, with the militia being called in and hundreds being killed or injured
- All union leaders were excluded from future employment and unionisation was banned in Carnegie factories until the 1950s
What was the Omnibus Indictment Act?
Passed after the Pullman strike and used against the American Railway Union, the OIA made it permissible for businesses to ban strikes
What was the Haymarket Affair and what were its effects?
- Frustrated workers and a group of anarchists coalesced to protest poor working conditions and the power of businesses
- During the protest, a bomb was thrown into the crowd, killing multiple police officers
- This ordeal, along with other indicents of violence, destroyed the KOL, decreased sympathy for workers and made it easier for businesses to resist demands
- KOL’s consequent impotence is demonstrated well by the reign of terror that 10,000 black sugar workers were met with after protesting low wages under the KOL banner in the fall of 1887
When were the two depressions in the Gilded Age?
- 1873 to 1877
- 1893 to 1897
What were the effects of the depressions on workers?
- Unemployment rose by 16%
- This led to reduced wages and lower rights for workers as they were easily replaceable
How was the workers’ movement divided?
- It was divided along racial lines; for example, African Americans subjected to sharecropping and Chinese immigrants building transcontinental railways had no common thread to unite them into one movement
How were unions discriminative?
- The AFL and its constituent unions mostly consisted of skilled, white workers
- Some unions actively campained to maintain this exclusivity, preventing African Americans and new immigrants from joining either as a result of racial prejudice or a desire to ensure all members earned a sizeable salary
- AFL unions also barred women from becoming members, with only 3.3 per cent of female industrial workers being members of unions
This lack on unity in unions allowed businesses to exploit workers
Why was little legal protection given to unions or workers?
- The government, which strong believed in the free market throughout the period, pursued a laissez-faire policy
- The courts generally supported employers and issued injunctions to end strikes (like the one that stopped the Pullman Strike of 1894 before Cleveland sent federal troops in to restart the flow of mail)
- Businesses were thus able to relentlessly curtail workers’ rights without fear of legal consequences
That said, the AFL was able to score some important wins through concerted strike action
What was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890?
- It prevented businesses from forming monopolies over certain goods and services
- This gave workers more freedom over which business they worked for, incentivising companies to improve conditions to increase retention
What effect did the prevalence of contractual work have on workers?
The contract system meant employees could be laid off when demand for goods or services was low, resulting in perpetual uncertainty and instability among certain workers
