The emergence of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800's led to urbanization, this in turn led to problems of overcrowding and lots of unemployed in the city. Unions were created to help workers organize and fight for better rights through strikes and bargaining. The first big Union to be formed was the Knights of Labor in 1869, however it quickly lost membership and died out. The American Federation of Labor introduced by Samuel Gompers in 1886 thrived and still exists today. John L. Lewis created the Congress Industrial Organization (CIO) in 1920. Eventually, the AFL-CIO joined together and are the largest labor organization in America currently. |
The Great Depression saw an increase in union membership because of Americans' view on the unfair job market.
Strikes were used by workers and unions to show disagreement. Many of them would "picket" with signs infront of the business which they were on strike against. Most times, government would interfere and side with the employers and stop the strike using military. Another type of strike was a "sit down strike" where employees would lock themselves into the building and not allow new replacement workers to come in. |