The Lawrence Textile Strike Of 1912: Innovations In The Labor Movement

In the book Bread and Rose: Miles, Migrants, and the struggle For The American Dream by Bruce Watson talks about the strike that took place in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 that totally changed labor history for American workers. At the begging of the 20th century Lawrence, Massachusetts was the textile center of America with 12 mills employing more than 32,000 migrant workers. Three of those mills were owned by J.P. Morgan, controlled by the American woolen Company. Most of the textile workers were newly arrived immigrants that came from diverse backgrounds. More than 20 different nationalities were represented, speaking more than 20 different languages.

The progressive era can be defined as a time of political reform that swept across the United States from city to city in order for workers in factories, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, to be given better working conditions. Many major cities across the United States took place in the Progressive Movement but one city was a major contributor to the era. This city was none other than New York City. The major players during the New York Progressive movement were people that were parts of Tammany Hall, Middle-class women reformers, and the outcome from the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. Tammany Hall (often described as a political machine) was a group of politicians that resided in New York City, and that were often associated with

The movement brought together workers from diverse backgrounds and helped to bridge

Cassidy Bulger In the final years of the 19th Century, the rise of a more business-focused society lead to both advantages and abuse to be cast upon varying members of society. Protests against the abuse, especially in the workplace, lead to a desire for change. Between 1875 and 1900, groups of laborers banded together in Unions and put forth their efforts into trying to improve their position within society. These Labor Unions were persistent, but propaganda easily shaped the public’s opinion, and management often retaliated against their efforts. With this being said, organized labor was rather unsuccessful in significantly improving the positions of workers.

The formation of grassroots organizations in the mid twentieth century proved to be an essential driving force of the Asian American movement, mainly due to their ambitions and ability to attack racial problems in communities. At the height of the 1960’s civil rights movement, the Asian American Political Alliance, and the I Wor Kuen were notable grassroot organizations. The AAPA, for short, was birthed on the campus of UC Berkeley in California, while the I Wor Kuen was formed in New York City’s Chinatown. Their core goal is notably identical; their desire to create a utopian society separate from “white America”. Ultimately, the AAPA and the I Wor Kuen coincide with their ambitions to create their own absolute society, but differ in their

1There were many laws and acts set in place specifically for union workers such as The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 which provided collective bargaining. Another act that helped the union workers during this time is the Wagner Act also known as the National Labor Relations Act in which it was mandatory for businesses to bargain with union employees. This 1935 law was to protest workers’ rights after the National Industrial Recovery Act was declared unconstitutional. The New Deal was beneficial for industrial workers because these employees gain experience in the workplace, however, they did not get a fair

*Pullman Strike * The Pullman Strike was widespread by the United States railroad workers, approximately a quarter-million worker were on strike at the peak and it impacted the expedition the railroad system across the states. The strike between the American Railway Union and George Pullman changed the course of future strikes when President Grover Cleveland ordered federal troops to break up the strikers; its influenced how the federal government and the court system would handle labor issues. The labor issues during the Pullman Strike were not limited that of rights of the workers, the role of management in the workers private life, and the roles of government resolving labor conflicts. Pullman planned communities for his workers how he determined

The Haymarket affair is one most important events in Chicago’s labor protest is questionably still unknown to many of high school kids and down. At this mark in Chicago history several horrifying, and great events happened. Industrial workers were getting fed up with the intense hours and wanted change from their shady bosses. People associated with all the industrial works started to arrange private meeting to talk about what’s wrong within the industries. Soon several of the bosses found out about these meeting and paid the police to eliminate these meetings.

It is a difficult task to challenge the social and economic policies of a country, especially one as patriotic as the United States during the post wartime Red scare era of the 1920 's. labor unions could account for this as they saw their membership fall from a high of 5 million in the 1920s to a mere 3.6 million by 1923(Rosenzweig 353). A combination of Supreme court decisions, Employer pressures and in many cases a lack of a strong leadership seen in previous individuals like Samuel Gompers contributed to this. Yet this trend surprisingly didn’t remain consistent as the great depression emerged around the 1930s. In fact they tripled there membership during the 1930s(Rosenzweig 429).They opened up, recruiting millions of women in their causes

The feeling, shown in Nast's illustration after the railroad strike of 1877, that amalgamations simply lead to more " communistic values" and general uniformity made it very arduous to genuinely get anything done. Samuel Gompers, progenitor of the American Federation of Labor, argued that the right to strike was absolutely obligatory if any reforms were going to be made and not even this right had been officially granted to the people by regime (Document I). Gompers made it very pellucid that not even the very substratum of organized labor had been established and so up until this point the advances that had been made, were virtually frivolous. In conclusion, from 1875-1900 very few advances were made through organized labor in achieving better working conditions for workers.

Haymarket Riot There have been many strikes and movements for better working conditions as well as many unions formed throughout history. These events took place because of people who were not afraid to stand up and fight for what they believed in and the rights they deserved as Americans. One example of this was the Haymarket Riot which took place on May 4, 1886 this riot played a key role in the movement in better working conditions and unions. The Haymarket Riot was a riot that took place at Haymarket Square in Chicago.

Domestic Labor Strikes of 1881 included laundresses, hotel workers, and many more. But one of the bigger strikes of 1881 was the Washerwoman/ Laundress strike. The washerwoman strike of 1881 affected laundresses worldwide and future laundresses . In 1881 Atlanta, Georgia laundry was and is a big part of staying hygienic. During 1881 laundry work was one of the first chores that some women could afford to have someone do it for them.

In chapter 15, “Self-Help in Hard Times”, Zinn’s overarching point is that unity among workers was not simple to achieve, and that white supremacy was a powerful, deadly force after the war. To support and further discuss these concepts, Zinn points out how relations between the American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World were often tense, how city life often changed drastically during times of strike, and how immigration laws during the twenties began to favor Anglo-Saxons. One such way Zinn showcases these ideas is by describing how drastically life changed for cities when workers went on strike, hoping for an increase in their wages. As the strike continued on throughout February of 1919, Zinn recalls how all services, except for those that were consider essential to daily life, ceased.

After the fire, the horrible event made factories transparent to Americans and Americans realized that industrial workers were being treated unfairly. The tragedy exposed the inhumane working conditions that the industrial workers had to the government also, so social reform became the nation’s number one issue to focus on. Countless state and federal laws were passed in direct relation to this incident. This event affects Americans today because it played a key role in the laws and regulation we have in the

The strike became one of the most influential events in the history of United States labor law. The labor law in 1894 in the United States was changed in a significant way after the strike, as it was the first strike that received national attention and tested labor laws. The government intervened in the relationship between employers and their workers. For the first time an injunction by the government was used to break up a strike and block a major union activity. Many industrials and unions were affected by this intervention.