Causes and Effects of Major Strikes in the USA - Coursework Example

Causes and Effects of Major Strikes in the USA Introduction Strike has been defined as a cessation of work by workers or employees in an effort to obtain more favorable terms for themselves, or as a concerted refusal by employees to perform any work for their employer, or to work at their customary rate of speed, until the aim of the strike is attained by the employer’s granting the demanded concession (48 Am. Jur. 2d 2024, p.405). It is different from a Labor Union because Labor Union is an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions (Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Online). The essay will review major strikes that the United States history has seen and experienced. The review will be divided into three parts: first are major strikes from year 1875 to 1890 which includes Great Railroad strike 1877, Southwest railroad strike 1886, Haymarket riot 1886, and London matchgirls strike of 1888. Second are major strikes from year 1890-1900 which will include Right to unionize after a strike 1890, Homestead strike 1892, Couer d’Alene labor strike 1892, Bituminous Coal mine strike 1894, and Pullman strike 1894.Third are major strikes from the year 1900 to 1910 including Anthacite Coal Strike 1902 and New York shirtwaist strike of 1909. After providing an insight on the history of strikes, the essay will discuss the causes and effects of strikes as a whole. Major Strikes in the USA: History and Cause & Effect 1875-1890 Great Railroad strike 1877: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was considered as the first major rail strike of the country. It paralyzed for a short time the countrys commerce and forced the governors in ten states to gather together 60,000 militia members to revive rail traffic. This happened when the salaries of employees from railroads were cut as a result of the Financial Panic in 1973. The workweek was also slashed from three to two days only. Violence then broke out in several states because of the strike (Digital History). Southwest railroad strike 1886: The so-called Great Southwestern Strike of 1886 paralyzed the railway lines in five states in USA when the unskilled and semi-skilled railroaders refused to work for their employer. This was a reaction to the ways of the railway “king” Jay Gould as being ruthless monopolist and destructive speculator when he slashed labor costs, exploited the laborers and cut wages without notice and discriminated employees. Violence has taken place which caused death and injuries. The strikers did not succeed and were divested of their jobs. However, a biracial alliance among the black and white railroaders has been formed (Case). Haymarket riot 1886: Thousands of people in Chicago demonstrated for an eight-hour workday on May 1, 1886. The slogan of the marchers was “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will." Three days after, a violent and deadly confrontation occurred between the police and the protesters at Haymarket Square in Chicago. This major strike is said to have given way to shift the labor movement towards “bread"bread-and-butter" unionism (Case). London matchgirls strike of 1888: This was a strike of the women and teenage girl workers at Bryant and May Factory in London. They staged a strike because of the poor working conditions in the match factory, a long 14-hour work days, low pay, undue fines and health hazards due to phosphorus (phossy jaw) (Emsley). Consequently, long after the said strike, a law was passed for the prohibition of using yellow and white phosphorus in matches, the concern of which was even tackled in the 1906 Berne Convention (Beaver). 1890-1900 Right to unionize after a strike 1890: May 1 was then proposed to the International Labor Congress in Paris as the international Labor Day by the American Federation of Labor. It was this time when the right of the workers to organize was recognized (Digital History). Homestead strike 1892: Unites States Steel, a once world’s largest steel producer, closed down its steel mills in Homestead, Pa in 1886. The Homestead works was bought by a certain Andrew Carnegie who implemented reduction of skilled labor. Cutting the worker’s wages became also an option. Carnegies drive for efficiency also led to an armed confrontation at Homestead. Negotiations ensued but eventually broke down. Confrontation happened between the workers and guards and 7 workers were killed. An assassination plot was made against an officer of the employer. This gathered negative public opinion against the steel worker’s union. Eventually, the union was broken and the mill had reopened as a non-union plant. The union leaders were blacklisted for life from the steel industry (Digital History). Couer d’Alene labor strike 1892: As the costs for mine operations increased, mine operators introduced machines into the mines which replaced several miners which forced them to accept lower-paid jobs therein (Wymann). Mine operators also reduced the workers’ wages and increased their working hours per day with no increase in pay. This led to the staging of strike by the miners. The employer hired an agent to infiltrate the union and report to the mine owners their activities and plans but was later on discovered by the union. This infuriated the union members more and the strike went on violent which became an excuse for a governor to declare Martial Law which lasted for 4 months (Wymann). Subsequently, the Supreme Court ruled that the prisoners-union members taken during the Martial Law were held illegal and were later on released (Langdon). Bituminous Coal mine strike 1894: This strike was a national eight week strike by miners of hard coal in the US which started on April 21, 1894 but went unsuccessful (New York Times). The strike was fueled by wage cuts in the coal industry. A general strike in the bituminous coal mining industry was called by United Mine Workers, however, the mine owners just disregarded the call for them although some budged to give small wage adjustments. Violence erupted as a result of the strike (Plumbe), i.e. strikers armed with stones and fought National Guard troops. The depression got worst and forced the miners to just return to their work and the union had almost ceased to exist and took 30 years before the union of the mine workers would become a successful union again (Foner). Pullman strike 1894: This is considered as the most famous and far-reaching labor conflict during the period of severe economic depression and social unrest. The strike began on May 11, 1894 when the factory workers of Pullman Palace Car Company walked out after failure in negotiations. The boycott affected the railroad traffic nationwide until the government entered and caused for the issuance of injunction to prohibit boycott. Soldiers were also dispatched in Chicago and other part of the country. The said boycott gathered criticisms against the employer Pullman and obtained wide sympathy in favor of the employees (Lindsey) 1900-1910 Anthacite Coal Strike 1902: The coal miners saw staging a strike as the only option to improve their working conditions (working in dark and dangerous place) and improve the little pay they are getting and obtain security from their jobs. The complaints of the employees remain unheeded. Thus, the anthracite coal miners in Pennsylvania went on strike for more than 160 days which caused panic over the nation due to feared coal shortage in winter times. This led to the intervention of the then President Theodore Roosevelt (Williams) and the latter even invited the United Mine Workers and coal operators to the White House. This case is the first to make a President intervene in a labor dispute (The Coal Strike Conference). The coal miners return to their posts on October 23, 1902 and received an increase of ten percent and reduction of their working hours per day (After the Anthracite Strike). New York shirtwaist strike of 1909: This is also known as the Uprising of the 20,000. This involved primarily Jewish women working in New York shirtwaist factories. At that time in the small sweatshops, while men were doing easier jobs, they were getting higher pays as compared to the women who have to take much difficult jobs and yet paid less or could not even get as much as those of men (Friedheim). With the small wages that they had, they were even required to procure their basic materials (e.g. thread, needles and sewing machines) and sometimes they were locked inside the working premise to refrain from taking breaks. In response, the workers walked off the job and called for a strike, which was supported by International Ladies Garment Worker’s Union. More than 700 women had been arrested by the police. But the unjust treatment turned the public opinion against the companies as the public saw how young women were bullied by the police and the company guards which was sensationalized by the media. Eventually, the employers gave in (Sachar). Discussion After reviewing all the major strikes from the year 1875-1910 in the United States, the essay will now focus on the causes and outcomes of the mentioned strikes as a whole. Major causes: It is evident from the major strikes outlined above that the main cause of the strikes was the employers’ inconsideration of the welfare of their employees or workers. The workers were often exploited, i.e. paying them with low amounts not commensurate with the hours of work rendered, making them work for long and continuous hours without affording them enough time to rest and even extend to locking them inside the work premises not letting them to take a break which apparently is a violation of their constitutional rights. Their outcome: All of those leave no choice for the workers whose voice were not heeded to take drastic measures such as taking strikes or temporary refusal to work to force their employers to give in to their requests. Also, public sentiments were also drawn out in favor of the oppressed employees. Further, as obviously the case in the present times, the presence of labor unions or organizations is now accepted and even recognized under the law to represent the members of the collective bargaining units However, this history of strikes in the United States opened our eyes and made us aware that exploiting and maltreatment of workers not only causes the workers to work against their employers, it also did not provide the expected level of performance. Nowadays, we are equipped with a variety of literatures that can aid us in performance management and performance measurement. With these tools we can accurately measure and determine non-performing workers from those who provide excellent levels of performance. We are also aware of the benefits of rewards systems which highly contribute to an employee’s satisfaction. By maintaining good interpersonal relationships between employers and workers, a stress-free working environment can be achieved and it would reduce the need for strikes to ensure that both ends are met. Conclusion Strikes do not just happen without reasons. It just goes to show that even the lowest ranking employees deserve the respect of the employers and deserve to live a life under fair human condition. However, there are steps need to be taken to ensure that any planned strike is justified and in place. It is always important to take note that both the purpose and means of strike must be both legal to elicit a highly probable favorable outcome. Moreover, unionism is now considered as a means to protect the interest of the employees. References "After the Anthracite Strike: Submitted to Arbitration." Public Opinion 30 October 1902. 11 November 2009 Beaver, Patrick. The Match Makers: The Story of Bryant & May. Henry Mell and Limited, 1985, p. 15. Case, Theresa A. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. 19 August 2009. 11 November 2009 . Emsley, John. The Shocking History of Phosphorus: A Biography of the Devils element. Macmillan, 2000, p. 27. Foner, Philip. History of the Labor Management in the United States: Frm the Founder of the A.F. of L. to the Emergence of American Imperialism. New York: International Publishers, 1975, p. 14. Friedheim, William. Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl: Viewers Guide to the 30 Minute Documentary. 11 November 2009 History, Digital. Industrialization and the Working Class. n.d. 11 November 2009 . Langdon, Emma. Labors Greatest Conflicts, (1st ed). 1908. Denver: Co, p. 12. Lindsey, Almont. The Pullaman Strike: The Story of a Unique Experiment and of a Great Labor Upheaval. 1942, p. 207. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Online. n.d. 11 November 2009 . Plumbe, G.E. "The Great Coal Strike." Chicago Daily News 1895: p. 77-78. Sachar, Howard. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Great Revolt of 1909. 1992. 11 November 2009 . "The Coal Strike Conference: Operators and Miners Called Together by the President." Public Opinion 9 October 1902. 11 November 2009 http://www.historyteacher.net/USProjects/DBQs2000/APUSH-DBQ-14.htm Times, New York. "Gigantic Miners Strike Ordered." New York Times 12 April 1894, p. 8. Williams, Talcott. "A General View of the Coal Strike." The American Monthly Review of Reviews (1904), p. 229-251. Wymann, Mark. Hard Rock Epic, Western Miners and the Industrial Revolution, 1860-1910. 1979. 48 Am. Jur. 2d 2024, p.405 Read More