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4 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Skilled and unskilled workers |
Craft unions did not want unskilled joining their unions. The lack of unions for unskilled workers continued to be a problem until the first world war and was still an issue during the new deal era. There was a gradual change in the 1930s, with some unions breaking away from AFL in 1935 and establishing the Congress of Industrial Organisations (CIO) by 1937. Although the split did initially weaken the labour movement, it ultimately gave unskilled workers representation. The CIO and AFL merged to become AFL-CIO in 1955. With its membership of over 15 million, it could exert far more pressure on employers. The merger was important because the divisions between blue and white collar workers limited labour influence. |
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Blue and white collar workers |
White collar workers were less likely to join unions and more willing to sign no-strike agreements, thus weakening union membership and influence. Was evident in the PATCO strike of 1981. |
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Ethnic divisions |
From 1865, white workers were concerned about the threat to their jobs from free African Americans as well as from European immigrants. Additionally, many immigrants were unwilling to work alongside African Americans. Therefore during strikes, employers instead employed African Americans. African americans also offered a source of cheaper labour. The refusal the allow to join unions further weakened the labour movement. This problem continued in the twentieth century. Some african americans, such as Philip Randolph, formed their own unions because of the racist attitudes of some unions, further weakening the labour movement. Even during the civil rights movement, unions did little to help the position of African Americans. In the latter part of the period, the arrival of immigrants from Asia, particularly after the vietnam war, weakened the labour movement as many of these workers not only accepted lower wages but were willing to work for firms who ran non union enterprises. |
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Gender divisions |
The main issue they faced was discrimination, as they were paid less then men, and therefore many men saw them as a threat to their jobs. Women were more concerned about equal pay and less concerned with union activity, which weakened the labour movement. The second world war saw a dramatic increase in working women, and some more did join unions. However after the war many women worked in service industries where unions were often absent. Women in high-tech industries were also reluctant to join unions as they already had the benefit of pensions and other welfare schemes, further weakening the labour movement. |
