Transcript Robber Barons”, Unions, & Strikes

“Robber Barons”, Unions, &
Strikes
Union = A group joined together
for a common goal / purpose
The Industrial Revolution
Positives
• Cheaper goods
• Large Factories =
Jobs for Workers
• $$$ of Industry
used for good
causes
Negatives
• Dangerous
Workplace
• Corrupt Business
Practices
• Long hours / low
pay for workers
• No competition
“Robber Barons”
• Monopolies = Complete
control over prices, wages,
production
• “Robber Barons” = Use of
unethical business tactics
– Andrew Carnegie (Steel)
– John D. Rockefeller
(Standard Oil)
– J.P Morgan (Holding Co.)
• “Robber Barons?”
– Carnegie (Donated 90% of
his fortune)
– Rockefeller ($500 Million)
Working Conditions
• 7 Day work week
• 12+ hours per day
• No Vacation / Sick Leave
• No health benefits
• 675 Deaths / Week
(1882)
• 20% Under 15 years old
• Yearly pay = $498 (1899)
– $11,000 (2005)
Labor Union’s Emerge
• American Federation of
Labor (AFL) = Skilled
Laborers
• Industrial Workers of the
World (IWW) = Unskilled
Laborers
• Used “Strikes” to force
companies to meet their
demands for better
working conditions
– Result = Violence
Strikes & Violence Fuels Progress?
• The Haymarket Affair =
Bomb kills police / strikers
in Chicago (Public against
Labor Unions)
• The Homestead Strike = 6
Month strike broken by
National Guard
• The Pullman Car Strike =
President orders troops to
break the boycott of trains
• The Triangle Factory Fire =
Locked up workers burnt
alive (146 dead)
Industrial Consolidation:
Iron & Steel Firms
U. S. Corporate Mergers
Iron & Steel Production