Organized labor essays

Organized labor essays Organized labor, during the period from 1875 to 1900, was not as successful in improving the position of workers as one was hoping it would be. There are many results that arose from these organized labor attempts that prove how unsuccessful they actually were. These results include the collapse of many labor unions such as, NLU, Knights of Labor, and ARU, the failure of many strikes such as, the Great Railroad Strike, the Haymarket Riot, and the Pullman Strike, and the techniques used by management to defeat labor. The National Labor Union, otherwise known as NLU, was organized following the time of the Civil War. This labor union was created by William Sylvis. The NLU had a couple of main goals. One goal was to return to the ways of early America; the time when workers controlled the average workday and could actually make a decent living and not have to work their heart and soul out for pennies a day. They demanded eight hour work days, on average, eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will. They wanted equal opportunities for craft workers, skilled and unskilled workers, and even reformers. The only exclusions were those involved with banks, defending (lawyers), and the disbursement of liquor. At their height, more than 600,000 people were involved with this union, making it the first largest national union. By the early 1870s, the NLU had created their own political party, a third party. But, to much disappointment, in the elections of 1872, they lost, heavily. With the Panic of 1872 and the Depression in the mid-1870s, the NLU collapsed. The Knights of Labor was established in 1871 by Uriah Stephens, a Protestant. Many were drawn to this organization. These Knights were led by Terence V. Powderly and was open to any variety of the working class. In 1878, they fought for equal pay for women and even le...