Evolution of Labor-Management Relationships

1
Chapter 2

• Evolution of Labor-Management Relationships

2
Union goals classifications

• Uplift unionism - social issues such as education
• Revolutionary unionism - change fabric of
  society overthrow capitalism socialism
• Business unionism - immediate employment
  interests bread and butter
• Predatory unionism - enhance union at expense of
  workers

3
Birth of unionism

• Philadelphia Cordwainers (1794)
• Shoemakers refused to work at various rates
  dependent on shoe (custom or stock)
• Conspiracy Doctrine - Courts determined to be
  criminal act and fined each worker.
• Commonwealth vs. Hunt - similar to conspiracy but
  different outcome depends on objectives
• Union boycotts under Sherman Antitrust
• Slow going courts, rural, unskilled immigrants

4
National Labor Union

• National Labor Union (1866) Baltimore
• -Largely political reformist-took anyone
• -Issues fed. dept. of labor, 8 hour
  
• workday, limits on immigration
• -Doomed by lack of leadership and
• inattention to worker problems

5
Knights of Labor

• Knights of Labor (1869) Philadelphia
  -Org. city by city across crafts,
  mixing skilled and unskilled centralized
  authority
• -Leaders were idealists who favored education
  and arbitration over strikes
• -Long range reform to change wage-price system
  and depersonalization of mass production
• -Failed due to belief that employers and
  employees have identical interests promoted
  moral betterment instead of short term goals

6
Haymarket Riot (1886)

• Chicagos Haymarket Square
• Advocated 8 hour work day to reduce unemployment
• Bomb was thrown and violence erupted
• Backlash against organized labor eliminated
  effectiveness of KOL

7
American Federation of Labor (1886)

• Frustration with mixing skilled and unskilled
  like KOL
• Not one big unionfederation for services but
  retain separate identities
• Emphasis on short-term tangible gains through
  collective bargaining like todays business
  environment!

8
Homestead Strike (1892)

• Confrontation at Carnegie Steel over wages
• Employees were locked out and strikebreakers/Pinke
  rtons were usedresulting in violence
• Strengthened AFL by showing unions concern they
  supported workers financially

9
Pullman Strike (1894)

• Protest over wage cuts by owner of Pullman train
  cars owned all housing and food resources and
  refused to cut
• Would not handle trains with Pullman cars
• Erupted in violence and use of troops
• American Railways Union NOT part of AFL and faded
  away due to negative public opinion

10
Industrial Workers of the World

• Wanted to overthrow existing capitalistic system
  and abolish wage systemnot achieve better wages
• Formed in 1905 by socialist leaders who led much
  of earlier unrest
• Failed due to inability to appeal to members
  interest and identity with sabotage and violence

11
World War I gt Depression era

• End of Industrial Workers of America - unions as
  political extremists (Bolsheviks)
• American Plan - open shop company
  unions-employee representation plans yellow dog
  contracts
• 1920s - prosperity, less immigration, shift from
  ag/craft to industrial mass product.
• 1930s - depression and legislative initiative so
  unions not perceived as necessary

12
Congress of Industrial Organization (1935)

• Broke away from AFL to organize employees of mass
  production industries (steel, auto, etc.)
• Tremendous growth due to
• strong leadership and appealing goals
• effective use of sit-down strikes
• favorable legislation (Wagner Act)
• changes in employee attitudes-eg job security

13
World War II to present

• Developments
• Increased concern over collective bargaining,
  inc. job security and concession bargaining
• Organization of white-collar and public employees
• Merger of AFL-CIO (1955)

14
World War II to present (cont.)

• No change
• limited effectiveness in political efforts, such
  as stopping passage of NAFTA
• difficulty in obtaining consensus among members
• pursuit of short-range material goals instead of
  long-term reform