If I worked for the B&O Railroad as a brakeman in 1877, I would have no other choice but to go on strike. The job is a risky one that puts me in danger every day. There was a pay cut 3 years ago that took its toll on all the workers. Adding another 10% reduction in salary, topped with working fewer days in the week, there is no way that a family can be supported properly. This is a job that keeps me away from my family and is incredibly dangerous. I deserve to be paid well enough to support my family. As an individual, it would be hard for me to make a difference on my own. If I joined my fellow railroad workers, we could make a difference.
When the railroad workers went on strike, the nation came to a halt. There were so many daily operations that depended on the trains running. Looking back on the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, it ended up being largely successful in improving the individual …show more content…
One of the groups was the Knights of Labor that was well before the railroad strike. Originally it was a ‘secret society’ that wanted to better the workplace for everyone in all jobs. It was a group that wanted to make a difference. After the railroad strike the group grew bigger and they decided to no longer be a ‘secret society’. “The Knights attempted to bridge the boundaries of ethnicity, gender, ideology, race, and occupation.” (pg.514) They worked with a variety of people to make a difference. They also focused on trying to make child labor a thing of the past and get equal pay for women (which still hasn’t happened to this day!). There was another rival organization called American Federation of Labor, known as AFL. The Knights and AFL were competing to get the same people to join their union. The AFL was less more focused on getting together skilled workers and being able to ensure that they had a great work environment and higher
When the railroad workers went on strike, the nation came to a halt. There were so many daily operations that depended on the trains running. Looking back on the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, it ended up being largely successful in improving the individual …show more content…
One of the groups was the Knights of Labor that was well before the railroad strike. Originally it was a ‘secret society’ that wanted to better the workplace for everyone in all jobs. It was a group that wanted to make a difference. After the railroad strike the group grew bigger and they decided to no longer be a ‘secret society’. “The Knights attempted to bridge the boundaries of ethnicity, gender, ideology, race, and occupation.” (pg.514) They worked with a variety of people to make a difference. They also focused on trying to make child labor a thing of the past and get equal pay for women (which still hasn’t happened to this day!). There was another rival organization called American Federation of Labor, known as AFL. The Knights and AFL were competing to get the same people to join their union. The AFL was less more focused on getting together skilled workers and being able to ensure that they had a great work environment and higher