Industrial unionism

1919, Winnipeg’s metal workers and builders went on strike for higher wages and were followed by an appeal for a general strike by the Winnipeg Trade and Labour Council two weeks later. By 11 am the next day, thirty thousand men and women walked off of their jobs (two-thirds of them were not unionized). A union is an organized association of workers who have formed together to protect and further their interests; in this case, a labour union was formed. There are many types of unions. A craft union is a name given to unions that represented members who specialized in a particular craft like printing, shoemaking or carpenters. An international union is one that crosses national boarders in the same way an international company does. An industrial union is a union that is a mix of craft and occupational boundaries within an industry like instead of factory workers belonging to craft or occupation, everyone is in the same union. One of the soldiers later said “In Germany, I fed on grass and rats. I would prefer going back to eating grass than to give up the freedom for which I fought so hard and suffered so much.” Six weeks later, a strike committee was formed and run in Winnipeg, this meant that elevators were shut down, trans were stopped, postal and telephone communication came to a halt and nothing happened without the strike committee’s approval. This caused many sympathy strikes to appear all over Canada. Sympathy strikes are strikers which the striker has no direct…

A Change in Economy A Political Scientist, Cas Mudde wrote, "Many observers have noted that populism is inherent to representative democracy; after all, do populists not juxtapose the pure people against the corrupt elite?" In the late 1800s, at the time of the Gilded Age – an era of economic growth and development -- monopolies dominated the economy, and the wealthy controlled the working class. Subsequently, due to the advanced technology and brilliant inventions that overtook manpower, and…

With the start of the Industrial Revolution, large numbers of workers began moving from the country to urban areas in order to take wage jobs at these factories. European immigrants also moved to cities seeking factory jobs. These workers faced harsh, unhealthy conditions. They worked long days, often sixteen hours, and worked alongside children. It was this era that unions began to form in large numbers. The Mechanics Union of Philadelphia was the first union to represent workers of different…

early 20th century, many of the deaths that occurred during labor disputes were directly caused by local law enforcement. Incidents such as the Colorado Columbine Mine Massacre of 1927, where state police and company guards fired rifles, handguns, and even a machine gun into a crowd of 500 striking miners, their wives, and their children. Dozens were injured and six people lost their lives, but law enforcement and the employers claimed their actions were justified by alleging the workers were…

General Overview: Resentment among the working class has been growing in Winnipeg for several years. Unions (employees) complained that Government supported employers over workers. In the spring of 1919, the Winnipeg metal and building trades began negotiations with their employers. As they usually demand for higher wages and an eight- hour workday, the unions demanded the right to collective bargaining - to negotiate on behalf of their members rather than each worker negotiating for him or…

The Knights of Labor was a national labor union founded by Uriah Stephens on December 28, 1869. They appealed to the un-skilled laborers and women, but they called themselves “a universal brotherhood of workers” and did not turn down prospective members based on their occupation, skin color, or gender (243). The union’s platform bravely proclaims, “An Injury to One is an Injury to All” (243). They actively perused the eight-hour work day, ending child labor, and implementing health and safety…

Knights of Labor at the time and it indeed had immense criticism and condemnation. The union was brutally disgraced and it never recovered its reputation and leadership (Historybits, 2016). Thousands of followed the trail of the accused labor militants. During the trail allegations of undependable evidence, flagrant bias against the defendants and absolute unfairness while the agreeable trail. During the trail, it never came out who made and placed the bomb. All eight defendants were…

Some of the major labor unions consisted of the Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, and the American Railway Union. Each union was different with its individual beliefs and the structure of its union. An example would be, The Knights of Labor, wanted an end to capitalism and create businesses which were owned by workers. The American Federation of Labor on the other hand, wanted better conditions, wages, and hours. Last, but not the least, The American Railway Union was led by a…

During the 20th century labor unions did destroy the free market by encumbering businesses with regulations essentially penalizing the wealthy for being successful. Reasons such as the Haymarket affair, the Pullman strike, the homestead strike, socialism, progressives, and the A.F.L caused labor unions to destroy the free market. Conflict between unions and management has caused struggle for power in the U.S. Labor unions gave an effort for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working…

Working with the Knights of Labor The successes and failures of the Knights of Labor have generated many controversial issues that have helped shape the North American Labor Movement after the Civil War. The Knight of Labor provided opportunities to many different types of people throughout the United States to have a job and make their own money.. The Knights of Labor was the window of greatness for the United States men and women who were not considered “workforce ready.” The Knights of…