As a leading member of the American Railroad Union and in the Pullman Strike, I am a firsthand witness in the strike. I have heard and witnessed the workers complaints of having low wages and high priced and inadequate living conditions. In response to the 25% wage cut with no corresponding price reductions in housing or food the Pullman workers, many a part of the ARU, found that the situation extremely unjust. The ARU and many workers understand that America is in a time of economic depression, but by Pullman lowering the workers’ wages by so much left the workers feeling that the new wages had no “difference between that and nothing” so they had “almost nothing to lose and everything to gain by a strike…” The ARU weighed the complaints with the act of striking and found it not only justifiable, but also necessary. Mr. Pullman and his company reduced the hardworking men’s wages to “less than a living wage” leaving them unable to take care of their families and pushing them …show more content…
However, Debs, myself and other members of the ARU did not wants any bloodshed yet were arrested for contempt. In response to the strike, many people praised the Pullman workers for their “dignified, manly and conservative conduct” while GMA members were described as “arrogant and absurd”. The ARU and Pullman workers were not looking for violence and destruction in the strike; we were looking to gain justice for the abuse and violations executed by Pullman. The workers wanted to get the salaries and hours they deserve as the hardworking men they are. Being a member of the ARU, a part of the strike, and a person that was found stuck in a jail cell after doing nothing wrong I fully believe that the strike was justifiable. However, what was not acceptable were the actions of George Pullman to his workers, the GMA in the strike, and the action of sending unnecessary and violent Federal
In a recent opinion, the Kansas Court of Appeals addressed the meaning and status of Kansas water law. The case of Garetson Brothers v. American Warrior, Inc., 51 Kan. App. 2d 370 (2015), concerns a groundwater dispute between senior water users and junior water users in southwest Kansas. After filing a complaint against the junior users, the senior users sought an injunction to stop the pumping of groundwater. The District Court granted the injunction and the Court of Appeals affirmed their decision. The issues in the case concerned what the term impairment means in the context of water law and whether it is appropriate for a court to grant injunctive relief to a senior water user. The Court of Appeal’s decision upholds the principle
Tensions between union supporters and management began mounting in the years preceding the strike. In April of 1994, the International Union led a three-week strike against major tracking companies in the freight hauling industry in attempts to stop management from creating $9 per hour part-time positions. This would only foreshadow battles to come between management and union. Later, in 1995, teamsters mounted an unprecedented national union campaign in attempts to defeat the labor-management “cooperation” scheme that UPS management tried to establish in order to weaken the union before contract talks (Witt, Wilson). This strike was distinguished from other strikes of recent years in that it was an offensive strike, not a defensive one. It was a struggle in which the union was prepared, fought over issues which it defined, and one which relied overwhelmingly on the efforts of the members themselves (http://www.igc.org/dbacon/Strikes/07ups.htm).
All levels of protection for the miners failed them. Every agency that was entrusted with their safety had other concerns as priority. Mr. Scanlan submitted true and honest reports of violations over a long period of time but never went that extra step to enforce the law. State authorities should have acted when the initial reports were made. The Union membership was at risk and yet the Union never represented Local 52 nor gave it support when it tried on its own to get state assistance with their grievances. Politics and profit motivated elected officials appointees and the coal company.
James B. Weaver illustrates the true damage of monopolies on the public in “A Call to Action” (Document 4). Weaver, a two-time candidate for president of the United States, addresses the meticulous tactics which trusts and monopolies use to increase their profit at the expense of the public and asserts that their main weapons are, ”threats, intimidation, bribery, fraud, wreck, and pillage.” Arguments such as Weaver’s, suggest and end to the end of the laissez-faire capitalism that monopolies are sustained upon. Laissez-faire capitalism is essentially a system where the government takes no position in the affairs of businesses and does not interfere, no matter what harm is being done. This ideology dominated the business world of the century and allowed for vast unemployment, low wages, and impoverishment. Soon, laborers also begin to express their dismay with the way that such businesses are run and the treatment of workers in the railroad industry. An instance of this being the Pullman Strike of 1894. In 1894, laborers went on a nationwide strike against the Pullman Company; they issued a statement regarding their strike in June (Document 6). Workers are repulsed by Pullman’s exertion of power over several institutions and how his greed affects his competitors, who must reduce their wages to keep up with his businesses. This incident inspires many to take
“Industrial unions dominated the landscape of the late nineteen century U.S. labor movement.” They gathered all level workers together without discrimination of gender, race, or nationality. They declared the eight-hour workday for the first time when normal work time should be 12. Low wage of workers caused the “Great Strike of 1877”, which began with railroad workers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. After the “Great Strike”, industrial union started to
Labor’s rights, this issue have been bothering many worker since the 19th century and can still be a problem today. As John L. Lewis has said in his speech “I repeat that labor seeks peace and guarantees its own loyalty, but the voice of labor, insistent upon its rights, should not be annoying to the ears of justice or offensive to the conscience of the American people” (John L. Lewis), which under his words meant that labor is something that can be done right and peacefully but it needs rules and benefits that come with those rules which labor asks for and when labor asks for those rules and benefits it shouldn’t be taken like some annoying kid’s demands but more as something that needs to be done and done with a right mind set. Labor today consists of a man or woman going to work, working their hours, and finally getting paid for those hours at the end of the week, at least a minimum of $7.50 an hour (United States Department of Labor), but before it wasn’t like that before many workers would get paid very poorly even thought they would work for a lot of hours and they wouldn’t get benefits from their work or safety when working such as in the mines like the mine workers, but one man stood up for them and his name was John L. Lewis (John Llewellyn Lewis, Encyclopedia).
The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in American history and it came about during a period of unrest with labor unions and controversy regarding the role of government in business.5 The strike officially started when employees organized and went to their supervisors to ask for a lowered rent and were refused.5 The strike had many different causes. For example, workers wanted higher wages and fewer working hours, but the companies would not give it to them; and the workers wanted better, more affordable living quarters, but the companies would not offer that to them either. These different causes created an interesting and controversial end to the Pullman strike. Because of this, questions were raised about the strike that are still important today. Was striking a proper means of getting what the workers wanted? Were there better means of petitioning their grievances? Was government intervention constitutional? All these questions were raised by the Pullman Strike.
Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.
against their employers, employees were able to go on strike and prove a point. Some
The Coal Strike of 1902 occurred as a result of many problems that were faced by miners. At the time of the coal strike there were 150,000 miners working in the mines (Grossman) Due to the depression of 1893, miners had their wages cut and were living in poverty (Grossman). Many miners were dissatisfied and looked to the United Mine Workers for support in raising their standard of living. This proved difficult since employers refused to recognize labor unions for fear of giving them significant control over the industry. In most instances of employee demands before 1902, employers would use government troops or hire immigrants to take the jobs of the strikers (David Kennedy).
At the beginning of school days in September 2015, teachers in Seattle public schools went on strike. It is the second time that teachers went on strike in the U.S. in recent years since 2012, when Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) was negotiating for a new contract that improves teachers’ salary, and evaluates teachers’ performance fairly. CTU has reached an agreement after a long negotiation period with the city. The pattern and goal of the Seattle teachers strike matched perfectly with what had happened in Chicago. Teachers in Seattle also went on strike because they were not satisfied with their contract.
The labor movement did not begin because of the Great Depression, it instead experienced a mass increase of strength due to the increasingly troublesome labor conditions of the era. Before the Depression, the United States faced small gains in the way of labor, like that of the Populist movement among farmers in the late 1800s and legislation in New York after the Triangle factory fire. While previous tragedies brought small successes, unions were able to organize more efficiently and hold mass demonstrations that largely shaped legislation. Some of the most influential demonstrations were the Minneapolis truck strikes. Brought about by the General Drivers 574 of International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ran on and off between May 16th and August 21st of 1934 (Labor’s Turning Point: Minneapolis Truck Strikes of 1934). 574 teamsters were successful in shutting down the cities trucking industry for a period of time and helping shape legislation using a vast selection of me...
The strike affected much of the country, and it had great influence on public opinion on the rights of workers. It showed how the roles of management and the roles of government handled this situation. The Pullman Strike of 1894 and its aftermath had a huge effect on the course of the labor movement in the United States. The use of federal troops and the labor injunction sent a message to U.S. workers that would not change until the new deal of the 1930s. George Pullman was no longer look at as the great enlightened employer who took care of his workers, but a greedy intolerant man. After the strike he was worried that people would rob him so when he was buried he had it lined in concrete so no one could. The Pullman strike ultimately was unsuccessful at the time. Workers were sent to jail and many couldn’t find any jobs after. Although, it was successful in several ways. The federal government was involved for the first time in history because of a strike, and because they all took a stand for their human rights it impacted the future and how workers are treated
Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).
...the coal miners didn’t get a change in the way coal was weighed or official recognition of the UMW, the Progressives won this fight because their voices had been heard. Roosevelt’s arbitration in this matter linked public interest and state power, and in the process offered a progressive example for labor relations (McGerr 124).