Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
TU History Terms
Definitions of key events in Trade Union Civil Rights. A level OCR history,
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Knights of Labor established (1869) | Labour federation that rapidly grew from 20,000 members in 1881 to 700,000 in 1886 due its successful strikes (including the Wabash railroad in 1885), but its reputation collapsed after the Haymarket affair. |
| Molly Maguires violence (1873) | Irish miners wanting better working conditions derailed trains, burnt coal tips and murdered superintendents. |
| Haymarket Affair (1886) | A strike and protest march in Chicago resulted in a bomb being thrown, killing 7 policemen. The police then opened fire and killed 4 protestors. |
| American Federation of Labor created (1886) | Labour federation that reached 2 million members by 1914. Originated in a dispute with KOL and grew after it collapsed. |
| Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) | Aimed to stop trusts and monopolies from interfering with trade and reducing competition, however unions were also considered trusts by courts. In the Pullman Strike the workers were putting a restraint on trade and were in violation of the act. |
| Homestead strike (1892) | Steel workers went on a 143 day strike. After collective bargaining failed, the company locked out the plant and violence ensued, ending with a battle with Pinkerton Detective Agency and at least 10 dead. |
| Pullman strike (1894) | The Attorney General banned interfering with the movement of mail and a strike occurred. President Cleveland sent in 2,000 troops to break it up, and 4 strikers were killed. |
| Omnibus Indictment Act (1894) | Prohibited joining and encouraging strikes, if the indictment was read and the strike did not disperse it was illegal. Remained in force until 1935. |
| Women's Trade Union League set up (1903) | Encouraged women to unionize and grew particularly after the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. WTUL joined the suffrage campaign but failed to achieve equal pay. |
| Industrial Workers of the World set up (1905) | A.K.A 'Wobblies'. More militant and violent so was disliked by employers. Reached 100,000 members by 1923 but declined after. |
| Lochner v. New York (1905) | The Supreme Court rejected a law that limited the number of hours a baker could work to 8. Ruled that regulating the terms of employment was unnecessary. |
| Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire (1911) | A factory mainly run by immigrant women in New York had a large fire resulting in 146 deaths - mainly because doors were blocked to prevent workers from taking breaks. Drove WTUL to campaign for better working conditions. |
| Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914) | Revised the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and banned monopolistic practices, but unions were now exempt from these laws. Peaceful strikes, boycotts and picketing were now allowed. |
| Coppage v. Kansas (1915) | Yellow dog contacts were permitted. |
| National War Labor Board set up (1918) | The government recognised and could negotiate with unions through this. Working hours were limited to 8 but workers had to agree to a no-strike policy. |
| 'Red Scare' (1919) | Galvanised by the Russian revolution, socialist and communist movements, many linked to organised labour, spread across the US in the interwar period. Another Red scare occurred post-WW2. |
| Adkins v. Children's Hospital (1923) | Ruled that a minimum wage for women was unconstitutional. Overturned in 1937. |
| Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was set up (1925) | Set up by Philip Randolph as the first AA union to join the AFL. Signed a contract with the Pullman company in 1937. |
| Wall Street Crash (1929) | Employers took a tougher stance by breaking strikes and exploiting weak workers who feared for their jobs. Union membership fell as strikes became less effective. |
| Norris-La Guardia Act (1932) | Banned yellow-dog contracts and allowed workers to join unions and collectively bargain. Stopped courts from issuing injunctions to end peaceful protests. |
| National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) | Established the right to organise unions. Created the National Recovery Administration to create codes of practice. The codes were not enforced and the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional. |
| Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (1935) | Invalidated regulations of the poultry industry as unconstitutional, rendering much of the NIRA unconstitutional. |
| National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) (1935) | Established the National Labor Relations Board. Workers could join unions, strike, and elect members for collective bargaining. Declared constitutional. |
| National Labor Relations Board created (1935) | Could negotiate for workers and looked into unfair labour practices by reaching judgements. Did not give agricultural workers the right to join unions. |
| General Motors recognised the United Automobile Worker's Union (1937) | Ended the 44-day occupation of four plants by workers, and recognised the UAW as the sole representative of GM workers. |
| US Steel recognised the Steel Workers Organising Committee (1937) | Signed a collective bargaining agreement after the company unions were infiltrated, but could not create a closed shop. |
| Congress of Industrial Organisations set up (1937) | The AFL was mainly for skilled craft workers, but the CIO split off to allow industrial workers in. Over 1 million (mainly unskilled and AA) workers in 1938. It rejoined AFL in 1955 |
| Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) | Established a minimum wage and banned the employment of under-16 year olds. Minimum wage did not extend to agricultural workers. |
| Taft-Hartley Act (1947) | Made it illegal for unions to operate a closed shop, and allowed the President to call a 60 day 'cooling-off' period before a strike. Union leaders had to make a pledge of non-communism before voting for the NLRB. |
| AFL-CIO merger (1955) | After expelling 10 communist-led unions in 1949, the CIO was weakened and merged with the AFL in 1955. Brought 85% of union members under 1 banner. |
| Public workers banned from strike action (1955) | The law made it a federal felony, and was invoked by Reagan against the PATCO strike. |
| Equal Pay Act (1963) | Gave 'equal pay for equal work' for men and women |
| Economic opportunity Act (1964) | Increased training opportunities for workers and provided federal funding. |
| Civil Rights Act (1964) | Helped African Americans and Hispanics who had been discriminated against at work. |
| Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1968) | Prevented discrimination against workers aged 40 to 65. |
| Occupational Health and Safety Act (1970) | Provided for a work environment free from hazards and insanitary conditions. Standards were set by the Department of Labor. |
| United Farm Workers Union set up (1972) | A union for farm labourers formed by a merger of two others as a result of strikes in the grape farming industry. Set up by Cesar Chavez. |
| Coalition of Black Trade Unions set up (1972) | Believed AFL-CIO had been ignoring black unionists and wanted to oppose Nixon's re-election (while AFL-CIO was neutral). A large share of its delegates were women. |
| Coalition of Labor Union Women set up and affiliated to the AFL-CIO (1974) | Set up in response to AFL-CIO's reluctance to recognise female trade unions. Organised by Olga Madar and Addie Wyatt. |
| California Agricultural Relations Act (1975) | Established the right of farm workers to collectively bargain. |
| Carter raises hourly minimum wage (1977) | Minimum wage raised to the point where it could be lived on, and established for farm workers for the first time. |
| PATCO strike (1981) | Air traffic controllers went on strike, in violation of the 1955 law, and were given 48 hours to return by President Reagan. Those who did not (over 11,000) were fired. |
Created by:
Charlie_M
Popular U.S. History sets