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9.3 - Business, Labor and Politics in the Gilded Age (Labor Unrest)

Terms in this set (23)

Union
An organization of workers. They work together to negotiate for better pay, hours, working conditions, etc. Sometimes they organize strikes or other forms of protest.
Great Upheaval
Mass strike in 1877 that started in West Virginia but spread as many railroad workers went on strike.
Mass Strike
A strike in which the workers in many locations stop work at the same time. One example was the Great Upheaval in 1877 when nearly all railroad operations in America stopped.
Boycott
When workers convince consumers to not purchase goods from a particular business. If it succeeds, the business owners capitulate to the workers' demands because of the fear of lost revenue.
Sabotage
Purposeful destruction of property as a form of protest.
Lockout
When owners close the doors to their business and refuse to let workers in. It is a way of limiting the power of unions.
Yellow-Dog Contract
An agreement a worker must sign when starting a job agreeing not to join a union.
Scab
A replacement worker hired during a strike.
Picket Line
The line made up of striking workers outside a business. Workers usually carry signs, chant, and try to prevent scabs from entering to take their jobs.
Blacklist
A list of union leaders passed around among business owners. These men and women would not be hired because they might cause problems for the owners.
National Labor Union
Early national union formed in 1866. It failed because the organizers tried to include too many different workers who did not always agree on objectives or strategy.
Knights of Labor
Early successful union formed by Uriah Stephens. They admitted all wage earners including African Americans and women. They grew in popularity but weakened after the Haymarket Square incident in 1886.
Haymarket Square Incident
Sometimes called a riot, it was a labor rally in Chicago in 1886 in which a bomb exploded killing a police officer and injuring many others. Labor leaders were blamed for the violence and it led to reduced public support for unions, and especially for the Knights of Labor.
Samuel Gompers
Founder of the American Federation of Labor
Bread and Butter Issues
Nickname for the basic concerns of works such as better pay, fewer working hours, and safety. In contrast to larger concerns such as racial or gender equality.
American Federation of Labor
Labor union founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886. It was formed by joining smaller unions of skilled workers.
Socialist
A follower of Karl Marx. They believed that workers should share the financial rewards of their labor and companies should be owned collectively.
Eugene Debs
Socialist union leader. He led the Pullman strike and ran unsuccessfully for president as a Socialist Party candidate.
Pullman Strike
Strike by workers at the Pullman Car Company (which built railway cars) in 1894. It turned violent and failed when the government ordered federal troops to end the strike.
Socialist Party
Small political party in America that was popular for a short time in the late 1800s. Eugene Debs led the party and ran for president as its candidate.
Industrial Workers of the World
Socialist political party led by Big Bill Haywood. Nicknamed the Wobblies, they advocated violent overthrow of the government and capitalist system.
William "Big Bill" Haywood
Founder and leader of the International Workers of the World.
Arbitration
A way of solving disputes in which both sides agree to abide by the decision of an outside, non-biased party.
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